Higher Ground
by zeKaien
Summary: Allenca Walker, commonly known as Allen Walker, is a single mother of twin boys who was forced to work as the manager and road manager of one of Japan's biggest bands called EXORCISTS. Yuu Kanda, the band's guitarist and leader, was not happy with the arrangement because of his past with her he would rather forget. [Yullen] [fem!Allen]
1. Prologue

"What?"

"WHAT?"

Allenca Walker, whose commonly known as Allen, looked at her uncle in disbelief. She could not believe what she had just heard. Cross Marian, the current chief executive officer of White Ark, one of Japan's biggest entertainment companies, just announced that she was about to manage one of the biggest bands in Japan currently and she was not happy with the news.

Kanda Yuu, the band's leader and guitarist didn't appear to like the news either.

"What the fuck are you saying now, _Sacho_?!"

Cross took a deep breath before he looked up to Kanda again. He was glaring daggers.

"Sit the fuck down, Kanda. Don't forget you're fucking talking to the ultimate boss of this company."

Kanda fumed, but took the order and sat back down.

"As I was saying, before I got interrupted by these two," Cross paused to throw a dirty look at Allen before continuing. "Allen here will be handling you guys from now on. She has been my secretary for years and she is exemplary with her job. If she was able to handle me, I'm sure handling you brats will be an easy task for her."

Allen only rolled her eyes and huffed.

Kanda, on the other hand turned to Allen.

"What the fuck are you planning?"

"Stop accusing me of things I know nothing about, idiot!" Allen said in anger.

Kanda looked at her with eyes narrowing. Then he stood up to drag her out of the room. Allen was too surprised to even try to protest. She tried to pull the arm he was holding firmly away but before she could, Kanda threw it back which made her falter a bit.

"What are you playing now, you woman?"

Before Allen answered, she threw a glance at the door to make sure it was properly closed. Then she snapped her head back to Kanda with anger in her eyes.

"I'm as clueless to this as you are so don't you use that tone with me."

"Like hell I believe you!" said Kanda, his voice rising despite what Allen just said. "Why are you here in this company? Anyone who knows us should at least be aware that we're being managed by White Ark. Then I see you here of all places and now you're about to be our manager. You can't possibly say this situation isn't suspicious at all!"

"How I have gotten to work here is none of your business. But I assure you I didn't come here just to stalk you, if that is what you are implying," said Allen, trying to steady her voice with difficulty.

Kanda continued to glare, seemingly processing Allen's words. Then he raised his brow as if in curiosity.

"Are you that pervert's woman?"

"What the _hell_?! Where did you get that idea?" said Allen, her cheeks burning.

Before Kanda could respond, the door flew open to reveal Cross looking at them with menace.

"Get back here you brats! I haven't got all day!" Cross barked at them before he turned his back. He left the door open to make sure Allen and Kanda would follow him back inside.

"As I was saying before I was _rudely_ interrupted," he started again when he seemed satisfied that Kanda and Allen were back on their seats. "Allen here will be your manager and road manager. I will not entertain any objections unless you present me a person who can outperform her."

The whole room was silent as they all let Cross' words sink in.

Allen could only slap her forehead in defeat. She knew her fate was doomed.

**.author's notes.**

Hello, everyone! zeKaien here. To those who've read _Nothing Else Matters_, yes I am the one who wrote that. I honestly do not know how to proceed with it as the notebook that contains all the information about that story was lost. In any case, I hope you enjoy this new one and please let me know your thoughts about it.


	2. Keep it real

Allen Walker marched across Shibuya while keeping her head down. She pulled her hood down, making sure her stark white hair would not catch anyone's attention. There were still a crowd of people in the streets probably on their way home or somewhere else – either to many restaurants situated on every corner of the city, or to bars located at less busy streets. Nevertheless, she was only a petite girl of eighteen with somewhat strange appearance courtesy of her pallid complexion, unusually white hair, and grey eyes – this combination was bound to attract scrutiny from most people. She did not want to be late just because a moron tried to hit on her.

She turned into a corner. The street was littered with bright neon lights coming from small bars on both sides. She would occasionally hear an unfamiliar melody whenever one of the establishments' doors open. Sometimes, she cringed from the horrible noise. Sometimes, she would hum in approval. Either way, it wasn't her purpose to listen to these stray sounds. She had better things to do.

She finally found the place she was looking for. A sign that read _Apocryphos_ in bright red LED light hung above a dimly lit entrance leading down to a hidden double-doors below. She descended the stairs, occasionally glancing at the walls covered with underground and indie band posters trying to see if anyone looked interesting to look at, at least visually. So far, nothing caught her fancy. She headed to the door covered with some type of red, velvet cushion. Both doors have circular windows which would allow people to peer inside – at least for people taller than Allen anyway.

"Good evening, Mahoja-san."

A burly, bald woman flashed a grin down on her. She grasped the door handle in preparation to letting Allen inside the vicinity.

"Hello, Allen! Interesting line-up tonight. Pretty sure you'd find the guys scheduled at nine PM worthy of your time."Mahoja said, winking.

"I hope so. Anita-san texted me earlier about it," Allen replied, checking her watch. "She seems excited."

"Well, they're a bunch of _ikemen_ with the right amount of angst. Just her type." Mahoja said, chuckling.

"Hope they're not just about looks." Allen said as she pushed the door open with Mahoja.

Allen finally entered the place; the interior design was a bit sophisticated for a live music bar ("as expected of Anita" Allen thought). The short hallway leading inside was decorated with framed posters of well-known bands who initially started playing gigs in this type of venue. It seemed like a couple of them were discovered in Apocryphos. After just a few steps, she was greeted with a dim yellow lights and a crowd gathering in the middle of the place facing the small, elevated stage across the room. A drum kit, mic perched on the mic stand, guitar, and bass were set up on it. She made her way closer, trying to squeeze in between enthusiastic fellow audience who were chatting animatedly with others while waiting for the next performers to come up.

As she neared the front, a cheer accompanied by loud clapping and some hooting started when four teenage boys started to come out from the curtained entrance on the front corner. The first one with bright, flaming red hair seated himself in front of the drum kit and started testing a few beats. The second boy with shoulder length, light green hair gathered in a ponytail to the right side of his head while his fringe were fixed on his left, picked up the bass and hung the strap around his shoulders. The third person with unruly, short, dark hair and some longer strands framing both sides of his face went to the center and adjusted the mic stand to the height of his liking. He had noticeable thick eyebrows and a line drawn across the bridge of his nose, which Allen suspected to be a scar. Despite this, he seemed the bubbly and chatty type much like their drummer who also gave off a similar vibe. But the last person that marched out of the entrance caught Allen's interest the most. The teen's tall stature added to the intimidating aura he exuded. His silky straight, long hair was tied with a rope-like material on top of his head. There were shorter strands that reached past his shoulders framing his strong jaws and his fringe almost reached his sharp, upturned eyes. Their gazes met briefly before he grabbed the neck of his sleek, black guitar and wore its strap. He pressed a few chords and strummed its strings. When it seemed that he was satisfied with the tune of his guitar, he threw a glance at the eagerly awaiting crowd before he met the gazes of the rest of his members. When he saw that they were all ready to go, he gave a nod to the boy who Allen thought to be the vocalist and the guy gave him a thumbs up before he held his mic and addressed the crowd.

"Hi! Alma here. How's everyone?" Alma said, waving to the audience.

The crowd gave a small cheer in response.

"Great! Everyone seems excited. So for the first timers here, let me introduce my bandmates again," he turned to his left and threw a hand to the bassist's direction. "This is Tokusa, our bassist."

Allen set her eyes on the guy with his hair tied to the side who smiled and bowed.

"The guy with red hair is our Lavi, the drummer," said Alma as he turned his back to the audience to also look at Lavi.

Lavi stood up while he did some tricks with his sticks before he hit the cymbals to create some noise and hype the crowd. The people returned his enthusiasm with cheers and hoots before they settled down again upon seeing Alma raise his palm in wordless command to silence.

"And of course, we have our leader over there," Alma regarded the one with the guitar "Kanda as he prefers to be called by."

Kanda just nodded his head to the crowd.

The people clapped their hands hard once all of the members have been introduced. Allen could feel their anticipation rising as they grew restless and giddy. She also started to feel agitated by watching the band prepare themselves. Hopefully, they would start soon...

"So, to start, we're going to play newly composed songs," said Alma as he scratched his head, embarrassed. "So yeah, hopefully you guys will like it."

Alma turned to Kanda, who in turn turned to Lavi and gave a hand signal. Lavi, getting the sign, counted from one to three then music started to play from each of the instruments.

Allen smiled as the band did their business on stage. She admitted to herself that each of the members had their own charisma. She started paying attention to the technical aspects of the song; the arrangement was something a typical teenage band would come up with, but she could not deny that it was good for a beginner. She started swaying and nodding her head to the rhythm of the guitar and she found herself watching Kanda more than the other members.

_Shibarareru na_

_Keep it real kowagarazu ni so jibun no kimochi ni shoujiki ni naru_  
_Sunao to chokkan sae areba orera saikyou nan dakara_  
_dream and hope sore wo mitsukete_  
_Yaritai you ni mae ni susumeba ii_  
_Ki ni sun'na kudaranai mae hyouban to otona tachi no sekentei_

_(Keep it real, don't be scared_  
_So you become honest with your own feelings_  
_For if there's only honesty and instinct we're at our stongest._  
_Dream and hope, discover them_  
_We should press forward like we wanted to before,_  
_The worried about worthless reputations and the appearances adults keep up)_

When Alma approached Kanda with his mic as the music slowed down, Allen held her breath in anticipation.

_Is he going to sing too?_

To her pleasant surprise, Kanda leaned down on the mic Alma was holding close to him and started to rap a verse while he kept playing the rhythm of the song.

_Itsumade ki ni sareru no? Sekentei_  
_Sou de nakute mo otona wa katte de_  
_Kudaranai otona tachi no herikutsu_

_(How long are you going to worry about it? Appearances_  
_Although it's not so,_  
_Adults try to selfishly deceive us with their senseless arguments)_

_Sonna herikutsu ni orera kyoumi nai_  
_News bangumi ni deteru baka kyoujuu_  
_Erasou na taido de orera wo hihan_  
_Neratta genshou This is genjou_  
_Kore mo zenbu subete orera no sei?_

_(We're not interested in those kinds of meaningless arguments_  
_The stupid lecturers that appear in news programs_  
_Criticise us with self-important attitudes._  
_An insane phenomenon,_  
_This is the status quo._  
_Is this also the complete whole of our lives?)_

Alma took his hand back as he sang the chorus again while banging his head along with the rest of the band and the throng of people who immersed themselves with their song.

_Shibarareru na_

_Keep it real kowagarazu ni so jibun no kimochi ni shoujiki ni naru_  
_Sunao to chokkan sae areba orera saikyou nan dakara_  
_dream and hope sore wo mitsukete_  
_Yaritai you ni mae ni susumeba ii_  
_Ki ni sun'na kudaranai mae hyouban to otona tachi no sekentei_

_(Keep it real, don't be scared_  
_So you become honest with your own feelings_  
_For if there's only honesty and instinct we're at our stongest._  
_Dream and hope, discover them_  
_We should press forward like we wanted to before,_  
_The worried about worthless reputations and the appearances adults keep up)_

Whenever Alma is done with the chorus, he would approach Kanda to share his mic so he could rap the verses.

_Nani wo motte otona to iu no ka?_  
_Hatashite orera kodomo na no ka?_  
_Jibun no ishi sore wo tsuki toosu_  
_Sore ga sonna ikenai koto nano ka?_  
_Hyotto shitara kimira "ko-otona"?_  
_Nari kiretenai tada no "kobaka"?_  
_Docchi demo ii kedo saigo ni iu kedo_  
_Kou natta no wa kimira no sei_

_(By what means can you be called an adult?_  
_Aren't we really only kids?_  
_It's my purpose to penetrate those things_  
_Because aren't those things kind of useless?_  
_Perhaps you guys are "child-adults"?_  
_Only "small fools" that can't even grow up?_  
_But whichever is okay, I'll finally say_  
_Your lives have become like this)_

_Torawareru na_  
_Keep it real kowagarazu ni so jibun no kimochi ni shoujiki ni naru_  
_Sunao to chokkan sae areba orera saikyou nan dakara_  
_dream and hope sore wo mitsukete_  
_Yaritai you ni mae ni susumeba ii_  
_Ki ni sun'na kudaranai mae hyouban to otona-tachi no sekentei_

_(We won't be chained down_  
_Keep it real, don't be scared_  
_So you become honest with your own feelings_  
_For if there's only honesty and instinct we're at our stongest._  
_Dream and hope, discover them_  
_We should press forward like we wanted to before,_  
_The worried about worthless reputations and the appearances adults keep up)_

_Oh...ie yo tsuree yo kitai sarereba sareru hodo_  
_Oh...ie yo koee yo sabishisa de hinekureteku_  
_Yue ni kodoku de..._

_(Oh...say it...it's painful..._  
_If you can leave the expectations as much as you can..._  
_Oh...say it...it's scary..._  
_Rebel because of the sadness,_  
_Because of the loneliness...)_

_Keep it real kowagarazu ni so jibun no kimochi ni shoujiki ni naru_  
_Sunao to chokkan sae areba orera saikyou nan dakara_  
_dream and hope sore wo mitsukete_  
_Yaritai you ni mae ni susumeba ii_  
_Ki ni sun'na kudaranai mae hyouban to otona-tachi no sekentei _

_(Keep it real, don't be scared_  
_So you become honest with your own feelings_  
_For if there's only honesty and instinct we're at our stongest._  
_Dream and hope, discover them_  
_We should press forward like we wanted to before,_  
_The worried about worthless reputations and the appearances adults keep up)_

Allen, who saw all of this, was impressed. She let their music soak into her and let herself loose if only for tonight while she continued to observe the guitarist who returned her stare every now and then.

**..higher..ground..**

After their set, Lavi was trying to convince the rest of the members to stay and mingle with the audience, much to Yuu's irritation. They were currently packing their instruments and other contraptions at the back of the stage and he was struggling to drown out all the noises Lavi was making which was proving to be really difficult.

"I saw some really hot chicks at the front earlier. Let's go and talk to them after this," said Lavi excitedly.

"They look dumb to me," said Tokusa who was currently changing his clothes with the ones he wore before their performance.

"Oh, come on Tokusa! They came here for us. We should at least show them our gratitude," said Lavi flashing a cheeky smile to Tokusa's direction.

"Well, I kind of agree that they look a bit dense but they aren't half bad to look at. So yeah, I say we go and hang out with them. Yuu, you can't say no!" Alma said and turned to look at Kanda.

"Fuck off!" was Yuu's only reply.

"We'll just drag your ass in there anyway," said Alma, laughing.

Yuu just rolled his eyes. He knew they were right – he did not understand why he let these three idiots haul him to do stupid things anyway but he supposed it was something small compared to them agreeing to join him and form this band. So with that thought in mind, he closed his beloved Mugen's (his black guitar) case shut with a snap and stalked out of the building to store his stuff away into the van Tokusa brought. He waited for the rest of his bandmates outside so they could come inside the bar together and lead him to those girls they said were "hot", not that he cared.

**..higher..ground..**

After they re-entered the establishment through the back door, Lavi immediately spotted their target huddled on a table near the stage. To Yuu's mild surprise, the hooded girl he noticed earlier during their show was also with them.

"Hi! Can we sit with you?" Alma said. He was the first one to approach the group of girls who were sipping their drinks while chatting.

They visibly brightened upon seeing who just came to them.

"H-Hello! Sure, please have a sit," said the girl who was wearing a ledge, sleeveless black top with a plain black choker accessories. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and some strands were stylishly curled on both sides of her square-shaped face.

Tokusa and Lavi went to grab and empty table nearby and placed it together with the girls' which for some reason made them giggle, except for the hooded figure, as Yuu noticed. Alma, Lavi, and even Tokusa then shamelessly took spaces between the girls who were all looking at them in awe. This left Yuu to take the empty sit beside the hooded girl who gave her a stiff nod as acknowledgement.

"I can't believe I'm sitting with you guys right now!" squealed the girl with short, bob-cut hair. It was died with crimson red from middle to the end of her strands. She took out her phone and started taking selcas with Lavi.

"By the way, I'm Rina," said the choker-wearing girl as she addressed the new addition to their group. "And these are Ayumi (the one who was a moment ago still busy flirting with Lavi waved), Haruna (a girl with long, black hair and fringe covering her whole forehead), and..." Rina trailed off, seemingly hesitant to introduce the hooded girl.

"Allen," the hooded girl spoke, her voice soft.

"Allen? Isn't that a foreign guy's name?" Tokusa said whose arm was already on Haruna's shoulder.

"It's my nickname. But I assure you I'm a girl if you're worried about that," Allen replied simply.

Yuu could detect a slight irritation to her voice though.

"Hm. I'm not sure about that," Tokusa said, his smile mocking. "It's better if you take off your hood so we can see you better."

Yuu heard Allen give an exasperated sigh. She was clearly unhappy with the request.

"I put this on as to not garner too much attention, but..." she trailed off.

Allen gingerly pulled her hood back which revealed her snow-white hair that reached just around her neck. Her fringe were slightly ruffled due to friction, yet somehow, the mess just added more charm to her. The face which was finally visible to everyone was small and heart-shaped with a tinge of red adorning her cheeks which Yuu thought was only evident to him as he was sitting close by her. From this distance, Kanda could also see that her eyes were of light colour, maybe blue? It was hard to decide on a shade as the dim lights of the room weren't of any help to him at the moment, so he let himself the other properties of her eyes, like how it was slightly protruding, her long eyelashes was of the same colour as her hair, or how bright and honest they seemed to him, or how her gaze were piercing his soul directly.

Okay, shit. He was just caught staring. Embarrassed, he turned his head away with a light scoff.

"Wow! You're a pretty little thing, aren't you?" Alma said, voice filled with admiration.

"No wonder why she didn't want her hood off. She's bound to get unwanted attention with a face like that," said Lavi nodding.

"Yeah. She looks like a snow fairy," Tokusa agreed.

"Nah. She's a snow _queen_ to me," said Alma grinning at Allen.

Yuu frowned at Alma's blatant attempt to flirt.

Allen chose not to respond to any of the praises. She just fidgeted slightly in her seat. She kept her head down and her eyes glued on the glass of her orange drink in her hands.

"Casis orange? That's a drink meant for kids," said Yuu looking at the offending drink with mild disgust.

Allen, surprised at being talked to and being looked down upon just because of her drink of choice turned to face Yuu with displeased expression.

"Excuse me. It's not any of your business if I choose to gulp down an alcoholic drink or not," she said as she tried to push her fringe away from her eyes. "And yes, let me correct you, this is not a cocktail drink, but a plain orange juice."

Yuu, for some reason, was not impressed with Allen's manner of responding.

"So what does a twelve year-old kid like you doing in a place like this? You should be at home and in bed," he said in a challenging tone as he crossed his arms on his chest.

"For your information, I'm already sixteen years old - "

"Could have fooled me -"

"_And_," she said, raising her voice, clearly unhappy at being interrupted. "I have a business here with someone.

Yuu just stared at Allen as a reply. It was not his business to know who the brat was meeting with so he left the argument at that and just settled for rolling his eyes and looking away.

"Shit, Yuu. I've never seen you like that with a girl before," said Alma, clearly amazed by what he just witnessed. "Is she your type or something?"

"What?! No, stupid! I'm not into kids," said Yuu in bewilderment.

"Don't worry, Bakanda. I'm not into girly-faced boys either," Allen spat back.

"Just what did you-" Yuu almost grabbed the front of Allen's jacket when he suddenly remembered that Allen was a girl. Since his hand was already in midair, he changed its course and chose to flick her forehead instead.

"Ow!"

The sound of Allen's pain gave Yuu a feeling of sadistic satisfaction. He smirked at her and leaned back on his chair.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Allen cried.

"Hey, don't make a scene you two," Tokusa chastised them both as other customers started to watch their rowdy table with interest.

Allen glowered at Yuu before settling on ignoring his existence. She leaned back to her chair as well, then took out her phone to fiddle with it, not paying any mind to the rest of the group. She then stood up as she pocketed her phone in her jeans and glanced at the group before her.

"I'll have to excuse myself, everyone. It was nice meeting all of you," she said softly with a sheepish smile.

"Eh? You're going already?" Lavi asked, surprised.

"Yes. The person I need to meet is already here so I have to go."

"That's a pity," this time, it was Alma who replied to Allen. "Do you always come here?"

"Only when I need to," Allen said, throwing a smile that seemed to hint something which Yuu could not figure out. Yet.

Allen then walked away while waving at the ones left behind when she suddenly stopped from her tracks and approached Yuu with an inquisitive expression written across her face.

"Kanda-san, I'm sorry but what's the name of your band again?"

Yuu frowned at her but otherwise replied.

"EXORCISTS. Didn't you hear Alma say it earlier?"

Allen smirked at that and then glanced at Alma's direction.

"That's the thing. He forgot."

With that, Allen finally left them and squeezed her way out of dancing bodies and busy waiters wandering about, disappearing on a corner.

Yuu thought at first she just asked to mock, but when it dawned on him that Alma made a blunder, he focused his glare in his direction and barked.

"Alma!"

**.author's notes.**

Honestly, the story title is something I came up with at random. I was itching to upload already and pressure took hold of my brain so I just slapped in the first song title I could come up with at that time and _voila_! The song "Higher Ground" is by Aimer, if anyone is curious to know.

Please leave some reviews for me and let me know of your thoughts! Thank you


	3. A Freaking Vegetable!

Friday of the following week, Allen was back in _Apocryphos_. She was standing right at the front of the small stage, waiting for EXORCISTS turn to perform next. Just when she was finished replying to a message from her classmate, the band members began filing out from the curtained door at the right corner. She heard some familiar voices cheering for each members behind her and when she turned to look at them, she was not surprised to see the group of girls who shared her table last week. There was a look of recognition from them and they greeted her enthusiastically, which she returned with a bow and a small smile.

When she faced the stage again, she caught sight of the band members (except Kanda) wave in her direction. She heard the girls behind her giggle at the gesture while she just smiled at them awkwardly, not entirely sure if the greeting was meant for her too.

"Alright! So once again, we're the EXORCISTS. Please take care of us tonight as well," said Alma as soon as he was able to grab his mic and let the rest of the guys fix their instruments.

He proceeded with the usual introduction for the benefit of newcomers and explained that they were going to perform an original tonight called _Keep it real_, which Allen assumed the same song they played last week. After exchanging glances with his band mates, Alma nodded in approval and Kanda signaled to Lavi to begin.

Just when they all commenced playing with their own instruments, Allen caught Kanda's stare and he smirked at her.

_Just what the heck is that guy's problem?_ She thought as her eyes narrowed and returned the stare. She refused to acknowledge that Kanda's smirk made him dangerously more handsome.

Allen rolled her eyes at her own thoughts and paid no attention to the heat creeping up from her neck to her face before she forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand: to evaluate these bunch of newbies' potential as a band.

**..****higher..ground****..**

"So, Kanda, it's gonna be your birthday soon. What's the plan?" Tokusa asked as he pulled a shirt over his head.

"Nothing," Yuu replied in clipped tone.

"Come on, Yuu! Do not be a wet blanket," Alma whined as he packed his things inside his duffel bag.

"I don't want to make a fuss. It's just a birthday. Nothing special," Yuu said as he carefully placed Mugen in its case.

"That's the thing! It's _your_ birthday," Lavi joined the conversation. His arms widespread as if to make a point.

Yuu snarled at them and proceeded to collect his own things on the dresser.

"Yuu," Alma drawled, which made Yuu's skin crawl in disgust. "That is the point, it's your birthday! You are the leader and the founder of this band so of course we want to have fun with you. We can go and invite Allen-chan and the other girls we met last week to hang out."

"Why is the _Moyashi_ coming?" Yuu asked in bewilderment.

"Moyashi? Ha-ha! God, you already gave her a nickname. You really adore that girl. Can't blame ya though." Alma replied, chuckling and shaking his head.

Yuu glared at Alma while he contemplated on his words. Sure, he liked teasing her just for the heck of it (like smirking at her during their entire time on stage), but it should not equate to him having any sort of attraction to Allen. For fuck's sake, she looked like a freaking vegetable! Slender, pale, small face, and white hair – the very human version of a bean sprout. It was the sole reason why he bothered with the nickname "Moyashi" in the first place, not a term of endearment of some sort.

"It's not a fucking nickname, I just don't want to bother calling her by her name! Besides, why do you get to choose who to invite over my own party?" He violently swatted Alma's arm away and picked up his precious guitar case.

"It's to brighten up the atmosphere, why else? And Yuu-chan, please. I saw you smirking at Allen-chan earlier. I never saw you like that with any other girl before," said Lavi and winked at Alma.

"Fuck. Are you serious, Lavi?" Tokusa asked in disbelief.

"Can't wrong my eyes, buddy," said Lavi nodding sagely.

"It's final then. We'll invite the girls for Kanda's celebration. Kanda, it's no use complaining," Tokusa said.

Yuu was livid. He knew he would not be able to win this stupid argument and just give in to their demands. He was being used as an excuse to pick up girls.

"Do whatever the fuck you want!" He roared before he exited the dressing room to drop his things inside the van.

He definitely heard the bastards cheer and snigger at his distress.

**..****higher..ground****..**

Allen was sitting on a stool chair on the bar counter, nursing a cool oolong tea as she typed in her assessment of EXORCISTS which she needed to send to Anita. They both agreed to not to let anyone see them together as she wanted to keep it a secret that she was very close to the owner of the bar. Just as she pressed the send button of her email, she felt someone slid onto the once empty stool to her right. She glanced furtively to her right to see the person and was surprised to see that a guy was openly staring and smiling down at her.

"Hello," said the intruder.

Allen politely nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"Hi."

"Been looking at you for a while now and noticed that you're really cute," said the guy as he rested his arm on the counter and slid closer to her.

Alarm bells immediately began to ring in her head.

"Um," she said, unsure of what to reply. "Thank you."

She slowly stood up to get away from the stench of alcohol the stranger was sporting but a hand suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Hey! Where are you going?" The stranger's tone was slightly alarmed. "I haven't even gotten to know you yet."

Allen noticed that they have garnered the attention of nearby customers. She did not enjoy being put on the spot like this.

"Um, sir," she said, amazed that she could still be polite despite being rudely grabbed by the arm. Still, if the stranger would not stop his advances anytime soon, she might do something she would regret later. "I need to look for my friends. I think they're waiting for me."

At this, she pretended to look over her shoulders, and around, hoping she would find a familiar face in the crowd.

"I don't think they're coming though. You've been alone for a while now," he drawled. He tugged Allen closer to his body and smirked. "Let's hang out for a bit. I'll give you a good time."

At this, Allen pried the hand away from her and dropped it with force and glowered at the guy. He was really starting to get on her nerves.

"I don't appreciate being manhandled, sir. It's best to walk away from here now before someone could get hurt."

"Are you threatening me?!" The stranger spat, hand gripping her hand once more, this time tighter.

"Let me go," she growled.

"Or what? Like a little girl like you can do anything against me," he said in a challenging tone. His grin menacing.

"Hey!"

Allen heard someone shout, but she paid no heed to it as she made to grab the stranger's arm with her free hand with strength the he was not expecting from her. She then twisted his arm once his grip on her loosened. Once she felt her that her other was free, she grabbed the stranger's shoulder and pushed him down with the help of her knee on his stomach.

The guy was now lying on his back, groaning. Allen made sure to put her weight on her to make sure he would not escape before Mahoja could come and throw him out of the establishment. People were now scurrying closer to see what the commotion was about.

"The fuck, Moyashi! That was dangerous!"

It was the same voice Allen heard before she knocked the stranger down. She looked up to see Kanda scowling down on them. Somehow, knowing Kanda witnessed what she just did made her face warm.

"Kanda-san, I-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Kanda stooped down and roughly grabbed the stranger by the neck and made him stand up. His face contorted with rage as he hauled him to the main door's direction. The stranger yelped and struggled on his own feet. He was gripping Kanda's arms for support.

"Kanda-san, wait!"

"Shut up, Moyashi! This troublemaker should be thrown out of the establishment!" Kanda spat.

"I know! In case you didn't notice, the bartender and waiters were about to-"

It was a mistake to look back at the bartender and waiters who were standing not far from them. It was clear in their expressions that they did not want to get involved.

Allen swore Anita would know about this incident.

"Tch! I'll take care of him myself. You stay here," Kanda ordered.

"Let go of me, you bastard! I'll kill you!" The stranger continued to scream. Though, his attempts to break free from Kanda's clutches were futile.

"I'll take care of it."

Allen looked up to see Mahoja briskly walking towards them. The sight of her towering figure made her sigh in relief.

"You alright there, lass?" Mahoja asked Allen.

"Yes," she replied. "This guy right here is drunk and is bothering other customers."

The stranger's face paled upon seeing Mahoja. He ceased his pathetic struggles when he was taken from Kanda, who obediently let him go without a word.

"Make sure that bastard won't bother people again," he said in a low voice.

"You don't have to tell me what to do, kid," replied Mahoja who flashed a huge grin at them.

"Thank you," said Allen with a nod.

Mahoja nodded at Allen in acknowledgement. She did not say anything else as to not give away the fact that they knew each other. She then turned her attention to the bartender and waiters nearby and glowered.

"I'll be sure to let Anita know how useless you've been just now! Now scram and take care of the customers!"

They all scrammed and went back to their business with their heads down, no doubt wondering how they would get scolded by the bar owner.

"Tch!"

Without a warning, Allen felt a warm hand enclosed her own right hand and get pulled in the direction of the tables on the other side of the place. She realized they were about to sit at the exact same table they occupied last week.

"Where are your friends?" Kanda asked once they were seated.

"Friends? You mean the girls from last week?"

"Who else?"

"Um, I don't know where they are," said Allen hesitantly. It did not make any sense to her as to why she was being asked about the whereabouts of the girls she just met last week. They just asked her if they could share the table at that time.

Unless, Kanda was interested in one of them? There was an uncomfortable feeling in her chest when the thought crossed her mind. On the corner of her eye, she noticed Kanda observing her.

"Are you perhaps interested in one of them?"

"Idiot! It's just that you came tonight alone which is a stupid idea as you have the ability to lure weirdos onto you." Kanda huffed. He crossed his arms across his chest as he eyed Allen down.

"Hey! What the hell do you mean by that?!" She angrily replied.

"I found them!" Someone shouted close by.

Allen focused her gaze to her right and saw Lavi, followed closely by Tokusa, Alma, Rina, Ayumi, and Haruna.

"About time!" Kanda barked as he stood up and drew his chair closer to Allen. "Where have you been?"

"Easy, Yuu! We just came to get our ladies here. We just saw them come in from the entrance," said Alma and gazed at Allen. "Though I think you're already occupied. Have we interrupted something? Is that why you're in a bad mood?"

"Shut up!" Was Kanda's only response. He crossed a leg over his other and raised his hand to get the attention of one of the waiters.

One of them came by and readied his notebook and pen in hand.

"What can I get you, sir?" The waiter addressed them politely, though his gaze lingered longer at Allen compared to the rest of the occupants of their table.

"One tall glass of beer for me," Kanda growled, then jerked his thumb at Allen. "_She'll_ be getting a glass of cold oolong tea, then you can ask them what they wanna get for themselves."

Allen looked at Kanda in bewilderment. It didn't miss her how Kanda rudely treated the waiter.

"What is your problem, seriously?" She asked, whispering. Still, Alma seemed to have heard her.

"Oh, Yuu! You hopeless thing," he cooed, chuckling.

Kanda settled for throwing a menacing glare at Alma in response before turning his head away and tuning them all out.

"Don't worry, Allen-chan," Alma murmured in Allen's ear. "There's a first time for everyone. I believe he's currently feeling something he doesn't recognize yet so he's irritable."

Alma left his cryptic message at that and sat straight up again and glanced at Rina who was looking at them both curiously.

Allen stayed in her seat, trying to decipher Alma's words, whatever the hell they meant while staring at Kanda's figure beside her.

Nothing made sense at the moment.

**..higher ground..**

Wednesday was Yuu's favourite day of the week, currently. It was the day when he only had two three-hour long subjects and he was free to do whatever he wanted for the rest of the day. Luckily, they did not have a lot of assignments and papers needed to be submitted this week and he was mostly done with them so he planned to have a leisurely walk in Yoyogi park and take his lunch there. He was in the mood for a _yakisoba_ and a can of cold green tea.

Upon entering the park, he took a left turn where he knew the less crowded benches were perched underneath the towering, old trees. There were also more bushes and all sorts of other plants providing more shade and clean air, making this part of the place cooler than the rest. It was the perfect spot for him to relax during a hot summer day like today. Just when he was trying to find himself an unoccupied bench, he was disappointed to see there was none. It was at the same time though that he spotted a familiar head glistening due to its whiteness, nose buried in a book, ears plugged with white earphones, sitting alone on one of the benches. She was wearing a white, short-sleeved blouse with large, red ribbon on her chest, a blue and white plaid skirt that rested above her knee, black socks that almost reached her knees, and shiny black shoes. Her bag was carelessly tossed to the side, occupying the empty space beside her.

Yuu sauntered towards Allen, not wanting to startle her. He pushed her bag closer to her and sat on where the bag used to lie on.

"Kanda-san?" Allen said. She pulled one of her earbuds and let it fall on her lap.

Yuu just gave Allen a side glance, then pulled out his yakisoba takeout box from the plastic. He took out his pair of chopsticks from his bag and started eating, not bothering to answer Allen's question.

Allen tried again.

"What are you doing here?"

"Eating," Yuu replied curtly.

"I can see that," Allen said, sighing. "I mean, why are you eating here?"

"My university is just nearby. I always go here every Wednesday to eat lunch," Yuu said. He opened his can of green tea and took a couple of sips. "You?"

"My school is just around the corner," said Allen. "Wow, the only university near here is that one famous for having elite students. So does that mean you're also smart, Kanda-san?"

"Are you implying something, Moyashi?" said Yuu, glaring. He did not miss Allen's slight teasing tone when she asked her question.

"Hey! You've been calling me names since last week. My name is _Allen."_

"Don't care. You look like a bean sprout to me," Yuu said as he shrugged.

"How rude! Bakanda!" Said Allen.

"What did you just-"

Then Yuu heard a loud grumble of a stomach.

"Sorry," said Allen, her face burning. "I haven't eaten anything yet since this morning."

Yuu sighed and shook his head. He stared at his barely eaten yakisoba then shoved it under Allen's nose.

"Eat," he commanded.

Allen switched her hesitant gaze between the yakisoba and Yuu while biting her lip. Then she grabbed it with both hands and slowly took the chopsticks from him.

"Thank you," said Allen softly. She started mixing the noodles before she took a more than a mouthful and shoved it inside her mouth _gracefully._

Yuu had never seen any girl devour food they way Allen did and so he found his mouth agape with incredulity from what he was currently witnessing. If she always ate that way, it was a mystery how she maintained her body. After snapping out of his thoughts, Yuu realized he would need to buy another himself another order of soba and two more for Allen. It seemed like the one was not enough to appease her appetite.

"Stay here. I'll get myself some food," Yuu said as he stood up.

"Eh?" Allen wondered. Then she became aware of the fact that the yakisoba box had been already almost empty. "I'm so sorry Kanda-san! I didn't realize I almost ate the entire thing"

"I thought so too," said Yuu, his tone slightly sarcastic. "I'll leave my bag here. Look after it."

"Wait! Here, I'll pay for the food I ate," said Allen as she hurriedly rummaged her bag for her wallet.

"No need. I don't need a high schooler to pay me for my food when they aren't from your own pocket," said Yuu as he made to leave before Allen could argue back.

**..higher ground..**

Kanda came back shortly after he left for more food. He handed a separate plastic bag to Allen with two boxes of yakisoba and two cans of strawberry milk.

"Why did you get me more food?" Allen said in wonder as she meekly reached for the plastic bag. "You shouldn't have bothered."

"With the way you were eating, I knew one order won't satisfy you, you glutton," Kanda said sniffing. He settled down and started to open his own food. "Start eating already before it gets cold."

"Thank you, Kanda-san, I'll pay you later once we're done eating," said Allen solemnly.

"I said don't _bother_. It wasn't much," said Kanda firmly. "Bring it up again and I'll charge you 10x more than the actual price of what I got you."

It made Allen shut up and pout. It made her uneasy when someone would pay for her food as she was not used to it.

They ate in silence while Allen enjoyed her the cool breeze. It was a peaceful and serene afternoon, and she felt like there was something special that day. Maybe because for the first time in a while, she got to eat something delicious in a park with a friend?

Or was it because of Kanda's presence?

_'Don't go there, self,'_ Allen warned. She realized she may be attracted to Kanda due to his good looks, but he had a bad personality which would turn off most girls who would be attracted to his physical appearance at first glance. He also did not appear to be interested in mingling with girls unlike his other band mates who enjoyed being showered with admiration from the female population, and flirting with them in return. If he ever got wind of the fact that Allen had a tiny crush on him, she was afraid she would be avoided like a plague or be treated coldly by Kanda.

She did not want that to happen. Also, she did not want to let her emotions affect the report she was working on.

"Oi,"

"Yes?" Said Allen dazedly, snapping out of her thoughts.

"You stopped inhaling your food. Did you not like the taste?" Kanda asked, his brow raised slightly.

"Oh no. This is actually delicious. I just remembered something," said Allen.

"Don't try to overwork that small brain of yours," said Kanda, smirking.

"Hey! Why are you always so rude, Bakanda!" Allen said angrily. She could feel her cheeks burning.

"Quiet, Moyashi. Just eat if you like the food," said Kanda, smirk still in place. He ruffled Allen's hair callously then went back to drinking his cold tea.

Allen could only glare at Kanda while she combed her hair with her hand in hopes of bringing it back to its original state. She was considering on ignoring Kanda's existence for the rest of the day when she suddenly remembered something.

"Ne, Kanda-san," she started.

"What?"

"Would you mind if I voice out a suggestion regarding one of your songs?" Asked Allen hesitantly.

Kanda stared hard at her for what seemed like a minuted before he put down his can beside him and crossed his arms.

"I mind, but let's hear it," he said.

Allen gulped, but gathered her courage.

"Regarding _Keeping it real_, I think it's better if you start the song with your rap before the chorus to make the flow better," she said. "What do you think?"

Kanda was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking.

"I'll try to see if it will work better that way," he answered.

Allen smiled at this. Kanda may not have shared his thoughts about what she just said, but the mere fact that he was willing to give it a shot was enough to make her happy.

"What's your contact information?" Kanda asked.

"Eh?"

"Are you deaf?" Kanda said, frowning. "I just asked you for your contact information so I can give you feedback on your suggestion after we try it."

"_Oh_, yes," said Allen breathily. "Right, feedback."

Allen grabbed her cell phone from her bag and flipped it open.

"We can transmit via infrared," said Allen. She hoped Kanda would not realize she was slightly flustered. "Here."

Kanda did not say anything and just held his own cellphone closer to Allen's

"Done! I also got your email," said Allen, smiling.

"Hn," Kanda responded. "Don't share my contact with other people, Moyashi. I like to keep myself private."

For some reason, this made Allen feel warm.

"Okay," she replied.

Silence once again enveloped them. Kanda leaned his back and crossed his right leg over the left and looked up at the trees, his facial expression almost serene. He was done with his food in just a short time, and Allen still was not as she was kind of distracted by her thoughts. She hurriedly went back to eating and tried to be slower as to not disturb the atmosphere.

After almost half an hour of peacefulness, Allen found herself back to bickering with Kanda about something she could no longer remember. They would talk about inconsequential things, then fight about certain things. Allen was aware that they were both being immature, but she could not stop herself. Somehow, arguing with Kanda was fun as it was stressful for her.

It was weird, but Allen thought she would not have it any other way with Kanda.

**.author's notes.**

Shout out to Hanashi o Suru for leaving reviews! I am so sorry for not replying to them but please know that they are highly appreciated. I have always been bad at messaging and responding to them, even in real life. I dunno why I'm like this. For those people who are thinking of leaving reviews in the future, I read them all and value them, even if at times I don't respond at all. Thank you in advance!

Please let me know your thoughts.


	4. Heat of the Moment

Saturday afternoon, while Allen was working on her homework in her room, her cell phone rang indicating that she received a message.

_Tried what you suggested the other day and made some tweaks for the intro and the guys agreed._

_-Kanda_

Allen felt her heart thump faster upon reading Kanda's name at the bottom of the short message. She was unable to stop the grin that stretched across her face and the giggle that escaped her lips. She knew it was bad to let a guy affect her this way, much less someone who she was about to endorse to Cross and Komui – but she could not help it. Kanda was cool. He might have been rude to her from the beginning and even until now, but she could not help but think that Kanda treated her differently from the others. She started entertaining this idea after her lunch with Kanda last Wednesday at the park. Their verbal bickerings started to include physical touches like gentle squeezes on the arm, elbow nudges, occasional punches from Allen which Kanda would stop by catching her fist and not letting go of it for a period of time (though Allen suspected it was to prevent her from throwing more punches than for anything else), and Kanda tucking Allen's hair behind her ear when a particularly strong breeze passed by and some loose strands of hair almost poked her eye. Just remembering those moments gave her a funny feeling in her stomach. She rested her arms on her desk and buried her head in them, feeling shy from the memories she just brought up on herself.

Her eyes, suddenly feeling heavy from all the thinking she had been doing, slowly closed without her noticing it...

**..higher ground..**

For the following weeks after their accidental lunch together in Yoyogi Park, Allen and Kanda have been hanging out after Allen's class on Wednesdays. They had established a habit of meeting in nearby cafes or family restaurants to discuss EXORCISTS' musical direction. For some reason, after hearing Allen's comment on _Keeping it real_'s arrangement, Kanda began to show interest in hearing her thoughts about other aspects of the band or their new song. It was flattering to think that Kanda had placed his trust on her and she was doing her utmost to not disappoint.

"Next week, Friday are you free?"

Allen looked up from her notebook and fixed her gaze at Kanda's face who had his eyes glued on his cell phone at hand.

"What's happening on Friday? Did you get booked for a gig?" Allen asked curiously.

"No. Lavi planned a celebration for us in a bar not far from here," said Kanda, seemingly uninterested.

"What kind of celebration is it?"

"Tsk! You ask too many questions!" Kanda said, irritated. He folded his arms across his chest and looked away.

If Allen did not know any better, she would say he appeared to be embarrassed.

"If I'm being invited to some party, of course I would want to know the details. Stupid Bakanda!" Allen said as she rolled her eyes.

"It's my birthday party," said Kanda, his voice low. "I did not want any fuss about celebrations and shit but they insisted. I was also ordered to ask you to come."

"Ah, I see. I'll come then," said Allen smiling. "Where is it going to take place?"

"At some bar near my apartment. Let's just meet at the park at six-thirty and we'll go there together," said Kanda with a smirk. "I don't want to get a call from the police just because some brat got lost while on her way to a bar when she's only twelve."

Allen scowled at Kanda but did not throw in any further comments. She needed to get used to Kanda's insults because of her stature or she would get bald from the stress. She flipped her cell phone open and went to her calendar and noted their meet-up next week. She included an emoji with heart eyes while she was at it.

Kanda gave Allen a scrutinizing look when she suddenly snickered out of nowhere.

**..higher ground..**

Yuu's birthday arrived faster than he would like, but somehow a part of him was also looking forward to this day. He pushed his fringe away from his eyes, but his attempt was proven to be futile as they fell back gracefully in place like nothing happened.

He contemplated on getting a trim soon.

Yuu stood in front of the clock at the park's entrance, pointedly ignoring the gazes directed at him. He was aware that he was gifted with looks, but he never perceived it as something of an advantage. If anything, it was only a burden to him. Strangers would stop him from his tracks and throw business cards at him, claiming to be scouts looking for models, promising him of riches and fame – things he never cared for. He had stalkers back in high school too who even dared to follow him all the way home. In the end, the police got involved as some of the weirder ones ended up harassing her mother just outside of their house when she just arrived from grocery shopping. His father, a local politician, had been furious, and demanded the school to expel those who caused his wife grief and trauma. Since that incident, his schoolmates had been stepping on eggshells around him, not wanting to be removed from school just because of one wrong move.

He looked at the clock towering above him. It was just five minutes past six o'clock in the evening. Allen would probably get here in twenty minutes or so. He was tempted to smoke to keep his boredom at bay, but quickly decided against it. It would be detrimental to his health if he became a heavy smoker. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and started to browse through his emails and see if they were of anything important.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Yuu looked up from his cell phone's screen to discover Allen's eyes looking brightly back at him.

Oh, her eyes weren't blue, but silver.

"No. I just arrived," said Yuu. "You're early."

"I don't want to be late. I'm pretty sure you'd bitch about it if I dared to arrive later than what we agreed on," said Allen, chuckling. She tucked her loose hair behind her ear.

Yuu snorted in response and checked the time again.

"The party starts at seven so it's still too early to go to the bar. Do you want to go and look around or get something to drink?"

"Do you know if they already prepared a cake for you?" Allen asked back.

Yuu's brows knitted at the thought of eating sweets.

"No. They know better than to serve me cakes when I dislike sweet stuff," said Yuu.

Allen sighed and shook her head lightly.

"Come on. The cake will be my treat. One should not celebrate a birthday without a cake," said Allen.

"Are you deaf? I said I don't like sweets," said Yuu.

"I know, Kanda-senpai. Don't worry, they also make cakes for the likes of you," said Allen, smiling.

"Tch. I'll make you eat the entire thing if I deem it unacceptable," said Yuu, sullenly.

"Ha-ha! That is hardly a threat! I'd be more than happy to eat everything if you don't like it," replied Allen. She pulled Yuu's sleeve and began to lead them out of Yoyogi park's entrance.

Since Yuu had no idea where Allen would be taking him, he just let her tug his sleeve anywhere and mindlessly followed, opting to contemplate on the clothes she was wearing today. Most of the time, he would see her in hoods, pants and trainers in Apocryphos, or in her uniform when they would have their rendezvous in cafes or family restaurants on Wednesday afternoons. Today, she appeared somewhat different. Allen wore a black wrap-around skirt that rested mid-thighs, white sleeveless button-up shirt with lace frills on the edge of the collar, ankle-length black, leather boots, and a small, red backpack that matches the ribbon holding most of her white hair in a braided ponytail.

Allen dressed simply, but she definitely had taste in clothes.

A few more minutes of being dragged onto the crowded streets of Tokyo, they finally arrived at a quaint little café tucked in a less crowded street of the city. There were stores of various kinds that could be found in the area like a fruit store, flower shop, take-away _karaage_ shop, an _izekaya_, and others Yuu could not distinguish. Most of the shoppers seemed to be housewives from a nearby residential area as they greeted shopkeepers with a warmth that could only come from familiarity.

"This is one of my favourite cafés around here. Their cakes are simple, but the taste of each one of them is just perfect," said Allen excitedly as she pushed the glass door open and let themselves in. She immediately ran to the glass case where cakes of different shapes and colour were housed by the counter.

"Wōkā-san, good evening!" A boy, presumably a high schooler, came out from the door at the far corner of the store and greeted them. He was wearing a rectangle-rimmed glasses, plain white button-up shirt, black slacks, and black apron wrapped around his waist. His hair, which rivalled Yuu's in colour, was short and neatly parted in the middle. It was also generously gelled.

What a fucking nerd.

"Furukawa-san, you're always so formal. I told you to call me by my first name," said Allen, coyly.

Yuu felt something in his stomach churn.

"I-I can't do that! The owner will scold me! Anyways, are you here for the usual? I see you've got some company," said Furukawa.

Yuu did not miss the faltering in his voice.

"Not tonight, no. I'm here to get a birthday cake. If possible, something that is not sweet," said Allen, stepping closer to the cake display cabinet. "By the way, this is Kanda Yuu. He prefers to be called Kanda. Kanda-san, this is Furukawa Yuuji. He's a part-timer here in _Fleur Elise_."

"Good evening, Kanda-san," said Furukawa, with a slight squeak in his voice.

Yuu only bowed slightly and said nothing. He did not miss Allen rolling her eyes at him.

"Ano, Wōkā-san. If I may, here are a couple of cakes fit for those who normally do not enjoy sweet pastries. This one here is a chiffon cake filled with different berries inside, then covered in icing. It is decorated with different berries such as strawberry, raspberry, blueberries, and cranberries," said Furukawa, pointing at the white cake sitting beside the green one which Yuu suspected to be a matcha cake. "This one is a matcha cheesecake. The cream cheese the owner uses is not sweet and perfectly blends well with the bitterness of the high quality matcha powder. Instead of being sweet, it has a bite of citrus which gives it a refreshing taste."

"We'll get the matcha cheesecake," said Yuu, which surprised Allen greatly.

"Do you like matcha flavour?" Allen asked.

"I'm used to the taste of it," said Yuu.

"Thank you, Kanda-san. Would you like to include a dedication written on a chocolate piece?" Furukawa asked as he pulled out the cake and carefully placed it on the counter across the display cabinet.

"Yes, please! Here, let me write it down on a paper," chirped Allen, picking up a pen and a piece of paper placed beside the cashier. "Can we come back for it after thirty minutes? We're planning to visit some places first before we take it away."

"Not a problem, Wōkā-san. I'll put it in a box after I'm done with the dedication then place it in the freezer," said Furukawa, smiling warmly at Allen as he took the offered paper and the paper bills.

"Great! Shall we go then?" Allen asked, turning to look at Yuu.

"Let's go then, Moyashi," said Yuu, making his way to the exit.

"I'm not a vegetable!" Allen shouted as she hurriedly grabbed her change and ran after Yuu.

**..higher ground..**

After making a visit to a nearby bookstore, time had passed and it was almost time for Kanda's birthday party. At quarter to seven, they went back to Fleur Elise to get Kanda's cake and walked their way to the bar called the The Black Order, situated on the second floor in one of the massive buildings in Tokyo. It was spacious, and classy – a place students could not afford. The furnitures were all made of high-quality materials. But what was most surprising was the architectural style the owner had chosen. Every nook and cranny could only be described as Baroque. Even the stools that lined up the bar were of Baroque style. The bar counter would remind one of those fancy bars found in fancy hotels in Europe. The accents were painted with gold that glimmered against the otherwise dark lighting of the place. Allen was instantly in love with it.

"Yo! You 're here just in time," Allen felt someone tap her shoulder lightly and turned to see Lavi smiling serenely at them.

"Hello, Lavi. You look different tonight," greeted Allen, returning his smile with her own. He was wearing a navy blue button shirt that contrasted well with his fire-y red hair, and a fitted black pants tucked in a brown, wedge sole work boots. There was a stylish silver chain hanging on his left hip.

"Handsome, right? But please don't fall in love with me. I already have Ayumi," said Lavi, winking. "You don't look bad yourself. It's my first time seeing you in a skirt. It suits you."

"Thank you," said Allen shyly, tucker a stray hair behind her ear.

"Come on, we can't be hanging here in the entrance," said Kanda, irritated.

"Follow me," said Lavi as he led them to the far left of the venue where Allen assumed the VIP lounge was located. Alma, Rina, Tokusa, and Haruna, were already seated in pairs respectively on two-person Baroque style sofas of deep red colour. Only Ayumi was left alone, which did not last for long, as Lavi immediately occupied the empty space beside her. There was only one more couch left in the middle where Allen and Kanda could sit.

"Alright, the birthday boy and his date are already here so I guess we can start the celebration now!" Lavi cheered. Alma pumped his fist in the air, Tokusa clapped his hands hard, and the girls just giggled at them.

"Shut it, Usagi," said Kanda, plumping himself onto the sofa after Allen.

"I think we should start with the cake first. Does anyone have a lighter?" Allen asked as she unboxed the cake on the table across her.

"Wow, Allen-chan! Does Yuu know you brought a cake with you?" Alma said in wonder.

"Yes. He went to the store with me," said Allen.

"Ha-ha! He abhors sweets, Allen-chan. You have to be kidding me," said Alma, pulling his lighter out of his jeans' pocket.

"No, I'm not," said Allen, smiling. "This cake's sweetness is tolerable so I got him to agree."

"You are full of wonders, Allen-sama," said Tokusa, raising his glass of golden liquid at her.

"Tch! I don't need to blow any candles. I'm not a kid anymore," said Kanda, rolling his eyes as he watched Allen set up the candle on top of his cake.

"Don't be stupid, Bakanda," said Allen. "It's just blowing a candle. You won't die from it."

Kanda scowled in response and looked away. Allen smiled at this.

Once the candle was lit, everyone sang the Happy Birthday song to Kanda, with Lavi and Alma emphasizing "Yuu" every time it came up. Kanda was close to choking them with his bare hands. They were lucky that the song ended too soon.

Tokusa was able to ask the bar owner for a cake knife and server set, small plates, and dessert forks. They also ordered plates of pasta and _tapa_ to fill their stomach with food while those who were of age drank alcohol to go with it. Allen opted for a mixed berry juice. They ate, drank, and laughed – except Kanda who mostly ignored them all and settled for drinking whiskey and picking his tapa in peace. He would occasionally gaze down at Allen when he would feel her eyes on him, and Allen would just either beam back at Kanda or would look away coyly.

Deeper into the night, and all the pairs went back to their own world, flirting with each other as they drank more alcohol of various kinds. Allen ended up surveying the room and took in all the fine details of the furnitures surrounding them (she had nothing better to do anyway), taking note of the ones she would love to have if she were to have her own place.

"Oi."

Allen turned her head quickly to look at Kanda, whose stare was intensified by the alcohol in his system. This sent a shiver down Allen's spine.

"What is it?" Allen asked timidly.

"Let's hang out in my apartment," said Kanda, checking his pockets for his things as if readying to leave. "I've had enough of this place. They're all busy making out now."

"Ha-ha! You're just jealous, Yuu. Why don't you try it out with Allen-chan?" Alma said.

"I'll kill you," said Kanda, raising his middle finger to Alma.

Allen decided to intervene and take Kanda home.

"Come on, I'll accompany you home. It's quite dangerous for you to walk in that state," said Allen as she stood up and stepped closer to Kanda.

"I'm not drunk," said Kanda, slurring his words slightly. Despite what he said, he stood up and slung his arm around Allen's shoulder for support. Allen wrapped her arms around Kanda's torso and started to guide them to the exit.

Once they got out of the building, Allen softly nudged Kanda to get him to tell her the direction of his apartment. Kanda groaned and looked at his surroundings.

"We go straight, then turn left," Kanda stated groggily.

"Okay," said Allen, struggling slightly to keep them both straight as Kanda was leaning his weight on her.

They proceeded to walk in silence – though Allen could not be sure if it could be called a "walk" as she was practically dragging Kanda with her to keep him moving. After thirty minutes, they finally reached Kanda's apartment building. The architectural design was not anything special – it was an average five-floor building made for average people. Allen was not surprised though as she knew a normal college student could only afford these kinds of places.

"I'm all the way up to the fourth floor. We can take the elevator Just go right and you'll see it at the end of the hallway," said Kanda in a low voice.

Allen was glad to hear that she would not be taking Kanda up by foot.

"Got it."

Allen followed Kanda's instruction and was relieved to see the elevator at the end of the hallway. They rode it without further ado and Allen pressed the "four" button once the doors slid closed. She felt the machine come to life and lift them up. She threw a furtive glance at Kanda and noted that he was not putting too much weight on her as he did earlier, when they were on the streets. He must have sobered up a bit then, she concluded. She still refused to remove her arms around him though. The doors slid open upon reaching their destination and they trudged out of it. Kanda silently pointed at the second door from the elevator and fished for his key out of his pocket and handed it wordlessly to Allen which she accepted without complaint and opened the locked door with it.

"Please remove your shoes, Kanda-san," said Allen softly as she slipped off from her own boots while still supporting Kanda. Kanda removed his own calf-high black boots with ease and set it aside at the corner of the _genkan_. Allen spotted a couple of indoor slippers at the main entrance and slipped into one of the pairs. Kanda took the other one and slipped them on his own feet.

Upon reaching the living room, Allen surmised that Kanda was renting a one-LDK apartment which was surprisingly clean and organized for a male university student. She deposited Kanda onto the black leather sofa gently and went to the kitchen situated just across them to get him a glass of water.

"Here, drink this. It will lessen the effects of hangover in the morning," said Allen. Kanda took the glass of water and drank all of it in one go. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Un. I think I need a shower. You should also stay the night. I have an extra futon in my closet," said Kanda as he stood up and sauntered towards his bathroom.

Allen waited until Kanda closed the door before she panicked and rummaged in her bag to check if she brought her emergency pouch with her. She sighed upon seeing the simple black pouch with red bowtie wrapped around it. It contained all her girly emergency supplies such as napkins, feminine wipes, and extra pair of underwear. She was about to relax her mind when she suddenly remembered a more pressing matter that she should be worrying about: sleepover with a male senior in his own apartment. Now Allen had always considered herself as a proper young woman with proper moral values. Thus, the idea of staying the night alone in an apartment with a single, attractive, young man sounded in inappropriate to her. She knew that many teenagers her age had no qualms staying over to their friends' house, regardless of their gender, but she just could not imagine herself doing the same thing. Not that she assumed something would happen between her and Kanda...

Her thoughts were interrupted when Kanda came out of his bathroom with only a black towel covering his hips while ruffling his wet hair with a smaller towel. Allen had a clear view of his upper body which was a sight to see. Kanda was tall, thin, with muscles in all the right places. His stomach was flat yet firm, and his biceps were shapely but not exaggerated. His overall silhouette was sexy and befitting of his _ikemen_ face. Allen had an urge to punch Kanda just for being too perfect. She just clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes close in an attempt to assuage her desire to hurt him.

"The hell is your problem, Moyashi? Does your stomach hurt?" Said Kanda, his tone slightly alarmed.

Allen refused to open her eyes and look at the perfection standing right in from of her.

"Something like that," she replied.

"Go and take a bath. I'll bring your clothes in a while," said Kanda, about to enter his bedroom. "Feel free to use whatever you need there. I have an extra toothbrush inside the cabinet."

"Thank you," Allen said timidly, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. She cautiously entered the bathroom and found the tub full of hot water. She blushed at the thought that Kanda submerged his naked body in there minutes prior.

She shook her head to get rid of the rather naughty imagination that started to invade her mind.

"You're a proper lady, Allen. Stop these thoughts at once!" She said to herself aloud.

"What?"

Allen spun around to find Kanda standing behind her, carrying some clothes with him.

"Don't you know how to knock?! What if I was already naked in here?" Allen said angrily. She could feel the heat creeping up her face.

Kanda rolled his eyes at her remark.

"As if there is anything special to see," said Kanda dismissively. "I'll leave your clothes right here." He placed the clothes on top of the sink counter and closed the door behind him with a loud bang.

"What a jerk," Allen muttered. She locked the door, then shimmied out of her clothes. She washed her body, trying not to think about how she would smell like Kanda after using the same shampoo and liquid body soap he just used. After deeming herself clean, she finally plunged in the tub and sighed in contentment.

After allowing herself 10 minutes of soaking in the hot water, Allen got out of the bathtub and put on the clothes Kanda lent her. It was an old, plain black shirt that was slightly big for her frame, and a baggy white pyjama pants with drawstrings. Once she was done putting on her borrowed clothes, she took a glance at her reflection in the mirror to check her appearance.

"Not bad," she nodded in approval and pulled the door open.

She found Kanda sitting on the leather sofa with a hair dryer on his hand and a comb in the other. He wordlessly ordered Allen to sit beside him by jerking his head and she followed suit.

"Here. Dry your hair properly so won't get sick," said Kanda. He handed the hair dryer and comb to Allen and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Allen asked.

"I'm just going to prepare the extra futon."

"I see. Thank you," said Allen sheepishly.

Kanda just waved it off and went inside his room. Allen could see that he was still wobbling and unsteady on his feet.

Allen started drying her hair absent-mindedly. Once she was satisfied, she turned off the hair dryer and gingerly followed after Kanda as she began to wonder why Kanda still had not come out yet. Surely, it would not take anyone that long to prepare a futon?

"Kanda-san?" Allen said as she knocked.

"Come in," said Kanda.

Allen did as she was told and found Kanda lying across the bed. His arm was covering his eyes. There was no futon laid on the floor.

"Um," Allen began. She did not know what to ask.

"The fucking futon was still with Alma. I forgot he borrowed it last month and he still hasn't returned it," said Kanda, his voice slightly strained.

"No worries. I can sleep on the sofa-"

"There's no way I'll allow you to do that, Moyashi. I'll sleep on the sofa. You stay here and use my bed," said Kanda, getting up from the bed.

"I don't mean to be rude, but with your size, you'll barely fit in there. And you're drunk! I doubt you'll be able to get any sleep," said Allen worriedly.

"Fine. I'll just take the floor," said Kanda, groaning.

"Are you sure? I'll just give you the bed covers then."

"Don't be a dumbass. It gets really cold in here after midnight."

"So where would you sleep then?"

"I'll be fine."

Allen was quiet for a while. Then an idea came up to her. She hoped she would not regret this later on.

"Well, your bed can fit two people. Why don't we just share it?" Allen said, bracing herself for more insults and violent protests from Kanda.

"What?"

"You heard me. You'll get sick if you sleep on the floor. The couch won't be comfortable for you. You don't want me to sleep on it instead..." She trailed off.

Kanda exhaled a huge amount of air.

"You're quite aware of the situation, right?" Kanda said, hesitating.

"Fully aware of it, yes. Don't worry, I won't touch you if that's what you're worried about," said Allen.

"Moyashi, that's not-. Nevermind." Kanda said. He distributed his pillows and settled them on the bed. "Get in. You'll sleep beside the wall. I might need to get up some time later for water, or something.

Allen gingerly got onto the bed and sat up, her legs stretched.

"Lie down, you moron. I'll turn off the lights now," said Kanda.

"Bakanda," muttered Allen, rolling her eyes. She did not have much energy to call Kanda out for throwing insults her way.

The light went out and Allen laid on her back. She felt movements beside her, indicating that Kanda had also slipped into the sheets. Allen's eyes slowly adjusted to the dark and saw Kanda's back facing her. Mesmerized by the view, she laid on her side and started to comb her fingers through Kanda's strands of hair. It felt so smooth against her skin, and soft too. It also had the same smell as her hair tonight (since they used the same shampoo), but somehow, his had a scent of musk, and something else she could not identify. But she liked it. Was it his natural scent?

"Oi."

Allen's eyes bulged open as Kanda suddenly grabbed her hand that strayed near his nape. Kanda turned on his other side to face Allen fully and that was when she realized that she had gone closer to him.

Kanda released his hold of Allen's hand and it fell gently on his left hand. Allen, feeling brave tonight, grabbed the hand beneath hers and tugged it closer to her face. The warmth emitting from it felt so nice. On the other hand, Kanda started playing with Allen's hair with his other, unoccupied hand. His eyes held fascination as the white strands fell gracefully on her cheek.

"Is this natural?" Kanda asked in a whispered manner. His voice was huskier than usual. Whether it was from sleepiness or drunkenness, Allen could tell.

"Yeah," said Allen. She briefly remembered the circumstances that lead to the current state of her hair. "It used to be a reddish brown mane."

Kanda surveyed her for a while before he focused his gaze on Allen's eyes.

Allen could feel Kanda's breath fanning her face.

"Your eyes are grey," said Kanda.

"You just noticed that?" Allen said, chuckling softly.

"Yeah," said Kanda quietly. "Earlier today. They remind me of the moon."

Allen blushed immensely. She was sure Kanda also felt the heat of her body rising up. She squeezed the hand she was holding and held her breath.

"They're so bright, and mysterious..."

Kanda was coming ever so close. His beauty was so enthralling that Allen rarely blinked, seemingly afraid of missing something if she did it often.

"And so beautiful," Kanda continued before pressing his lips softly on Allen's. Before she knew it, her eyes closed at the contact, feeling the soft flesh press deeper into her mouth. Her heartbeat was erratic, and for some reason, all the insignificant noises she could hear earlier were no longer there. Instead, the only sound her ears could pick up was their breathing. She sighed when Kanda pulled away slightly, eyes still closed.

"Kanda-san," Allen started. She did not really know what to say, but she knew she wanted more.

"Moyashi, this is getting dangerous. I think I'll sleep on the sofa," said Kanda, but he had not let go of her head yet.

"Kanda-san, I think... I think I like you," said Allen breathlessly.

For what seemed like eternity, they just stared at each other intensely. Allen tried to read what was in Kanda's mind at that moment, but could not for the life of her decipher his expression. All she knew was that he was feeling something so strong that his grip on her hair had tightened it almost hurt.

"Don't regret what's going to come after this," he growled.

"I won't," she said. Allen did not know what was coming, but she was not afraid. All she knew was to let this unknown desire inside her to be freed. And she knew Kanda would be able to do it. Only he could.

They kissed again. This time, it was so heated that Allen thought she would faint. She was pulled closer to Kanda's body and willingly let herself to be pulled until all the space between them were closed. They kissed so passionately that their lips were almost, yet they were thirsty for more. Kanda slowly climbed on top of Allen and pressed his body closer to hers, not willing to break the kiss as he did so. His hair tickled Allen's face and neck, making her shiver. When she felt Kanda pull away from their kiss and start nibbling on her neck, she sensed something hard poke her crotch. She gasped at the sensation, and realization of what Kanda was trying to convey earlier. It was also at the same time that she fully accepted her feelings for the man above her. She loved him. She loved him so much.

Allen closed her eyes once more. She knew she would not regret this when the morning comes.

**.author's notes.**

I'm finally done! This is much longer compared to the first two chapters of this story and I feel so exhausted. I apologize that it took longer than expected. Lots of happenings this month and I'm barely catching up. Hopefully I'll be back to my regular schedule soon, but I haven't started with chapter 4 yet *gasps*. Anyways, please let me know your thoughts and I apologize for any mistakes. I haven't reread this yet so I might reupload an edited version in the future. Will try my best to reply to reviews like what I used to do when I was working with Nothing Else Matters.

PS

I can't write lemons/smut/whatever you call it these days. Ha-ha! I just don't know how huhu


	5. Nothing Helps

Yuu stirred, waking himself up from his long and deep sleep. Birds were singing outside of his window, probably calling their companions to food they just found, or maybe trying to attract a potential mate. In any case, they were being extra loud that morning that he worried Allen might be woken up by the noise.

Right, Allen.

He peered at the figure beside him. Her appearance resembled that of a divine figure, with her hair spread around her head, creating a white halo which contrasted nicely against his dark pillow covers. Her body was facing him, curled like a fetus and hands tucked beneath her cheek, arms covering her naked breasts. Yuu tugged the sheets over her body. Once her shoulder was properly covered, he wrapped his arm around her waist underneath the sheets and gently pulled her closer to his chest – her skin so smooth against his. The sensation made him shiver slightly, awakening a want in him to run his hand along Allen's back, but he held himself back. He did not want to rouse her suddenly and disturb her rest.

While settling for just inhaling Allen's feminine scent ("How did she do that? Didn't she use my shampoo and soap?"), Yuu recalled last night's activities. He was so drunk last night that he lost his inhibitions. He knew that what just happened would unquestionably affect his relationship with her so he had to decide what he really wanted to do. Frankly speaking, the concept of one night stand left a bad taste in his mouth as he repulsed the idea, which is why he had never had sex before. He told himself that he would only go through with it if he had genuine feelings towards the girl. So, did that mean that he liked Allen?...

All the moments Yuu spent with Allen flashed at the back of his eyes. Truth be told, he did find Allen physically attractive, with all the quirky traits she possessed, and wit to be able to hold a decent conversation with him. He also remembered the feelings she elicited from him when they were together – he was always looking forward to their weekly meetings so he could tease her, her vibrant expressions left him wanting for more. Yuu realize that by spending more time with Allen alone recently, he started to develop feelings akin to like. He appreciated her humour, her gracefulness, her genuine smiles thrown his way, her kindness, and her cleverness. This made her company enjoyable despite being a girl, and that was saying something considering his reputation. Maybe, maybe with Allen, he could try something he had never done before. Maybe Allen was worth giving "relationship" a shot. With this resolve in mind, Yuu slowly drifted to slumber once more.

**..higher ground..**

Allen's eyes opened blearily, as her senses slowly came to her. Her body felt heavy and sluggish from last night's activities. Suddenly realizing the gravity of what she had done, she quickly got up and gathered her clothes, noting that the space beside her was empty. She immediately put her clothes on while thinking of what to say to Kanda once she saw him. Just as when she was about to put her pyjamas on, Kanda entered the room carrying a tray laden with breakfast items in his arm.

"You're awake," he said quietly. He placed the tray on the bedside table and approached Allen, who was trying her best to avert her gaze. "Does your body feel okay?"

Allen's cheeked warmed from the question.

"I'm okay," she said timidly. She sat back on the edge of the bed, and Kanda followed her example.

"Listen. I was drunk last night, and we ended up having sex, but I don't regret it," said Kanda, taking Allen's hands with him as he faced her way. "Do you?"

Allen finally looked up and saw how serious Kanda looked. His eyes were intense, and his lips were closed firmly.

"No. I told you last night I wouldn't, and I was serious. I am serious," said Allen, hoping to convey her emotions by staring back at Kanda's dark eyes.

"Good. I don't want it to be just a one-night stand. I don't do shit like that, so..."

"So...?"

"Will you go out with me?"

Allen could feel her eyes pop out from the question. She was so happy that tears started to gather at the corner of her eyes. She felt her throat suddenly constrict so she could only nod enthusiastically to respond to Kanda.

Kanda then chuckled, ruffling Allen's hair in the process.

"Put some pants on before you eat your breakfast," he said as he got up and exited the bedroom.

Feeling the dread creep up on her, she slowly looked down to find her thighs devoid of any clothing.

"Oh my god!" She screamed. A loud, deep laughter soon followed from the other side of the bedroom door.

**..higher ground..**

Since the end-of-the-semester exams was just around the corner, Yuu and Allen decided not to see each other for a while. Band activities have been set aside to make way for studying. After all, they were still a bunch of university students who were serious with their studies. Allen would occasionally send Yuu messages, mostly about how her day had gone through which was as mundane as his days were, with all the catching up he was doing recently. At night, when they both have free time, they would call each other just to talk briefly, and Allen would tell him she missed him so, and hoping that summer break would come soon for them.

Finally, the week of exams arrived before anyone knew it, and Yuu was surrounded but haggard-looking students who were attempting to cram last minute information into their brain, not knowing that it would cause them more harm than good. He took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind. He thought of things he would like to do with Allen once exams were over as the whole class waited for their professor to arrive. Once their female professor entered, the room fell silent and watched her as she distributed the exam papers to each student. _"Let's get this over and done with_," Yuu thought to himself.He fixed his posture once his paper landed on his table and passed the rest of the bundle to the next person and started going over the questions. He smirked, knowing the answers to most of them. There was nothing to worry about.

**..higher ground..**

Allen could finally sigh in relief upon getting the results of her exams. She was not bad at studying. In fact, she was rather good at it, but she was afraid that it was not good enough for her Uncle Cross' standards. Her ranking this semester was something she could use to get him off her back as he had been nagging her recently for apparently being distracted from school. He accused her of chasing after snotty, horny, college brats rather than sticking her nose in books. She walked along the corridors of her school building, carrying her bag with her. She took her phone out and texted Kanda to ask him if their plans for tomorrow would push through. It was the last day of school for the both of them and they agreed to go meet at the park tomorrow so they could plan how they would spend their summer vacation together.

Once she was outside, Allen's classmates called out to her so they could go all walk home together, but she had plans to visit the supermarket and buy groceries as she was running out of supplies and food. They bid their farewells and wished each other a good summer vacation before she went the opposite way. Allen heard her cell phone ring – the tone was for when she receives a message. She quickly took it out from her pocket and read Kanda's text.

_Yes. I also have something I want to discuss with you. __Apocryphos__' owner called me last night._

Allen contemplated at the words she read from her phone's screen. Her stomach churned at the thought that Uncle Cross and Komui finally took her seriously and they had a talked with Anita about it. However, she would rather not get ahead of herself. It would not do to get excited this early when nothing was set in stone yet. With this in mind, she pocketed her cell phone and skipped her way to the grocery store.

After twenty minutes of walking, she finally reached the grocery store near her apartment. She grabbed one of the push carts stationed near the entrance and placed her bag in the upper basket and went to the toiletries' aisle. She filled her lower basket with soap, shampoo, tissues, and feminine wash. When she reached the part filled with pads, Allen frowned. She was supposed to have her menstruation last week, but it did not come. She supposed she was stressed due to exams, and she heard menstrual cycle may be delayed due to stress. In any case, she grabbed four packs of pads of different kinds as usual and pushed her way to where fruits and vegetable stands were. Ah, she was also running out of milk...

**..higher ground..**

_I might be a bit late, sorry..._

Yuu stared at his cell phone's screen a few more seconds before he sighed and pocketed it back in his jeans. They were supposed to meet at ten in the morning at their usual spot in the park, and he arrived there at nine forty-five. Since there was still some time, he took his guitar out and did some guitar exercises. At ten twenty-two, he saw Allen's figure running towards him, so he quickly put his guitar away and took in Allen's appearance.

She looked beautiful, but more pallid than usual.

"What the hell happened to you?" Yuu asked as he watched Allen sit down on the bench. She seemed exhausted. "You look like shit."

"I wasn't feeling well," Allen answered feebly. "But I'm feeling better now."

"Are you sure? I can just take you home so you can rest," said Yuu, worry evident in his voice.

"No, it's fine," Allen answered, shaking her head lightly. "I'll be honest with you when I'm not okay."

Yuu sighed as he pushed his fringe away from his forehead. Allen was adamant in staying, so he would shut up for now. He carefully sat beside Allen, taking her clammy hand with him as he observed her closely.

"So, you said the owner of the bar spoke to you. What happened?" Allen began, looking up at Yuu while she waited for his response.

Yuu nodded slowly, contemplating on how to discuss Anita's vague words to him.

"Anita-san said that starting next week, we should play better than usual as we won't know who might come to watch us."

When he did not hear anything from Allen, Yuu looked up to see her chewing the bottom of her lip, looking thoughtful.

"What do you think about it?" She asked, gauging Yuu's thoughts on the matter.

"Frankly speaking, someone is coming to see us play and assess our abilities..." Yuu paused. "But I don't want to assume and be disappointed in the end."

"I think you're right on that," said Allen with a faraway look on her face. "What would you do if they're someone from a recording company?"

Yuu blanked out for a second. A recording company? The idea sounded far-fetched to him even though they were all serious in pursuing music. He had prepared himself long ago that in order to get discovered, they would have to start from the bottom like join small music events and festivals, play for free, tour all the music bars, do sidewalk performances, and submitting their demos in all record labels there was in Japan. A producer discovering them this early in their career was just a wishful thinking.

"That's impossible," he finally said after a long pause.

"Why would you say so?" Allen said, sounding like she found it absurd that Yuu found the idea absurd.

"There's just no way. I mean, we're still amateurs."

"Well, yeah. Most of popular bands today were just amateurs when they started," said Allen, squeezing Yuu's hand lightly. "You are all amateurs at this, but even I think you all have the potential."

Turning his gaze from their entwined hands to Allen's face, he saw no trace of flattery in her eyes, just pure and honest words.

"For now, just gather the rest of the guys and prepare. Regardless of who may come to see you, you just have be at your best," Allen added with a smile when she got no response from Yuu.

Yuu nodded solemnly, silently swearing to do better because the girl beside him placed her faith in him and his band.

**..higher ground..**

The following week came and it was Friday. EXORCISTS have just finished their set and they were now all in the back room gathering their things and changing their sweaty shirts with a fresh one. Yuu did not see anyone who could be someone observing them so he assumed that they were safe now. After discussing the topic with the band, they had all appeared excited and more motivated to practice and as a result of their hard work, they performed much better tonight unlike any other night. As a leader, Yuu was completely satisfied.

While Yuu was checking his phone for any missed messages (especially from Allen), he heard someone curse loudly ("Fuck!) which made him almost drop his phone.

"What's the matter, Lavi?" Tokusa asked, patting Lavi on the shoulder as he glared at his phone.

"Shit! What do I do?" Lavi looked around the room and met Yuu's eyes. "Yuu, I think I fucked up!"

"Calm down," said Yuu in a surprisingly calm voice. He strode to where Lavi stood and grabbed both of his shoulders. "Sit down and tell us what happened."

Lavi was dragged by Tokusa to a nearby chair. He sat there lifelessly and held out his cell phone to Yuu who stood in front of Lavi. Alma, who had been silent all this time, gasped as he peered over Yuu's shoulder. Yuu gripped the cell phone harder as he read the message.

_I'm pregnant, Lavi._

"Shit! This is serious, Yuu!" Alma exclaimed unnecessarily. "Lavi, I thought you're the most sensible guy among us. What were you thinking having unprotected sex?"

"Most of the time, I had condom on me. The only time I could not remember was when we did it after Yuu's birthday party!" Lavi moaned in his hands.

Yuu's hands turned cold.

"Lavi, what do you plan to do? Are you keeping it?"

Lavi looked lost as he looked up at Yuu.

"You know what I mean, Baka-usagi."

"I can't... I don't think I can kill it..." Lavi said in a whisper. "Yuu... what do I do? What about the band?"

"Idiot! No matter what, you're still part of this so better think about your situation properly."

"Frankly speaking, this will have an effect on us," said Tokusa, looking contemplative. "The fans aren't too forgiving when it comes to things like this."

"What do you mean?" Alma asked, his face pale.

"Remember Akiyama Ken the actor? Wasn't he rumored to have had an affair with a married woman and even had a child with her? His agency tried to squash the rumours, but there were some who believed it was true even when Akiyama and his team vehemently denied it. It'll be more difficult for us since we're just barely starting out as a band. Recording companies wouldn't want troublesome issues such as this."

Upon hearing this, Lavi let out a frustrated moan as he gripped and pulled out his hair.

"I guess I need to leave. I can put the band in jeopardy just because of my mistake."

"No one is leaving the band, Lavi. If no recording companies would accept us now, then we'll go the long road to achieve our goals just as we initially planned," Yuu said firmly and looked at them all. "This band isn't EXORCISTS if one of you is not a part of it. Might as well scrap everything and change the band name if that happens. Is that clear?"

"Definitely agree with Yuu. Lavi, you won't be leaving us. If you decide to keep it, we'll support you and even help you babysit!" Tokusa said playfully.

"We'll get through this, Lavi. Just think about what you want to do with your woman and the child carefully without holding back," said Alma. Yuu nodded in agreement.

"Go home and get some rest, everyone. Lavi, call us anytime," said Yuu, his voice gentler than his usual.

"Thank you, Yuu. Thank you...everyone."

No one moved as they watched their drummer crumble to tears.

**.author's notes.**

Wassup, everyone! OMG this chapter has been sitting on my online notebook for a while now. I'm so sorry I got too lazy uploading it. Urgh. Please let me know what your thoughts are, and as always, thank you so much for the follows and favourites! Next chapter is already on the works! I can't wait to right about my babies already!

I need help. Can you guys suggest a good twin boys' names? Of course they have to be Japanese names. Also, it would be awesome if you can tell me what the names' meanings are :D I already have something in mind but someone might have a better idea. Thank you in advance!


	6. Liar

**Date uploaded:** February 18, 2020

Two weeks since the band heard of Lavi's difficult circumstance, his mood had gotten better. Last week, he had revealed to everyone that he had decided to take responsibility and raise the kid growing inside his girlfriend's belly. Yuu had been prepared for his decision and thus, had braced himself to take the longer path to the band's goals should recording companies frown at them just because their drummer was going to become a father in nine months. He was relieved to find that the other guys have been just as supportive as he was with the whole situation and had even shown excitement at the prospect of seeing a mini Lavi so soon and had been teasing Lavi about it too.

The band had just finished their set. They were now all changing and packing away their stuff so they could bring them back to their borrowed van. Yuu remembered his urge to pee which he suppressed at the beginning of the show. He knew it was both stupid and dangerous to hold it in just before performing, but he reasoned he had no choice then. He made a beeline to the restroom not far from their changing room. Just as he was about to reach the men's restroom, he heard some familiar female voices coming from the women's restroom and he could not help but listen in to their conversation when he thought he heard Lavi's name being mentioned.

"…and he agreed to keep it! Isn't he such a sweet guy?"

"How did you convince him, Ayumi-chan? He looks like a guy you can't easily deceive."

Yuu heard some other girls giggle in unison.

"I used my womanly charms, what else?" said the girl who Yuu assumed to be "Ayumi-chan," More laughter ensued.

"But, what will you do in the next few months? Surely, he'll start to wonder why your belly isn't growing." Another girl asked. Skepticism was evident in her voice.

"I've already thought about it, Rina-chan. I'll just go away for a few weeks then tell him I had a miscarriage. But before that, I need to convince him to marry me. Once they become famous, I'll be known as the young, beautiful wife of Lavi, EXORCISTS' drummer," Ayumi replied, her voice dripping with malice.

"Wow! You really are so sly. I should have done the same to Tokusa too. You think it's too late to start now?"

"Dummy, you have to come up with your own strategy. No copycats allowed"

"Yeah, I think they'll notice something is going on if you also tell him you're pregnant, Haruna. That guy Tokusa doesn't look like someone who cares for babies."

Yuu noticed his hands curl into a fist. He was trembling with fury, but he could not confront them. It was not his battle to fight. He would let Lavi settle this on his own.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. He marched to the men's restroom to do his business while he thought of when to confront Lavi about what he heard from those vile women.

As he was zipping up his pants, his cell phone vibrated from his back pocket. He immediately washed his hands and read the message. It was from Allen.

"I need to talk you. Are you available tonight?"

For some unknown reason, Yuu's heartbeat sped up. He quickly typed in his reply letting Allen know of his schedule.

"I didn't see you here earlier. I just need to settle something then I'll come to you. Where should we meet?"

It did not take long before Yuu received a response.

"Sorry. I was in the area but I'm not feeling so well so I couldn't go in. I'm loitering here at Family Mart just across the street. I'll wait for you."

Yuu sighed upon reading the message. If she was not feeling well, why did she need to go out? Surely, whatever she had to say could wait?

"Make sure you stay inside until I arrive. It's already late. It's too dangerous for you."

Yuu pocketed his cell phone without waiting for another reply and slammed the restroom door shut behind him. He needed to find Lavi soon, then go and meet Allen.

**..higher ground.. **

Yuu found Lavi laughing along with Alma and Tokusa while typing on his phone. He schooled his expression as he entered the changing room then locked the door behind him.

"We need to talk," Yuu began.

"What is it, Yuu? You look quite scary," said Alma.

"Lavi," Yuu called. He looked at Lavi straight in the eye. "Do you trust me?"

Lavi was obviously caught off guard by his question. He gaped at him, looking dumbfounded.

"What kind of question is that? Of-of course I do!"

"Good, because you need to believe me when I say that your girlfriend is deceiving you."

There was a collective gasp from everyone in the room. Lavi staggered backwards upon hearing Yuu's explosive revelation.

Yuu did not waste time and went on to tell everyone about the conversation he heard from the women's bathroom. Alma's face features slowly contorted with rage, Tokusa's face remained indifferent, though Yuu could tell he was just as angry as he and Alma were.

He then turned his eyes back on Lavi. His shoulders were sagged. He looked extremely pained. He dragged his hands across his face then turned to the wall to throw a straight punch to it.

Suddenly, all of them were all over Lavi. Alma's arms were around his torso, pulling him back. Tokusa, on the other hand, was pushing his fist away from the wall while also standing between the wall and Lavi just in case he would decide to make another attack at it. Yuu wrapped his arm around Lavi's face, effectively trapping and blocking his view of the wall.

"Cool it, Baka Usagi! Don't ruin your hand for a bunch of vile girls! It's not worth it!" Yuu said.

"Let me go! I'm gonna go and bash that woman's face!" Lavi said as he tried to free himself from their hold.

"Believe me, Lavi. That's not what not what you really want to do," said Alma, trying to reason with a furious Lavi calmly. "The Lavi we know is a reasonable guy who's not capable of hurting women."

"Lavi, we need you to be rational. Please," said Tokusa. "They're just trash. If you become a criminal, we really won't be able to go anywhere with the band."

And that statement from Tokusa took all of Lavi's strength. Sensing this, they all slackened their hold of him warily and stepped back.

"Fuck this! That Ayumi almost got me! I felt so bad that I would be holding us back from reaching our dreams yet you were all ready to support me," said Lavi. His voice was trembling due to anger and frustration. "All this time, she's just taking me for a fool! Stupid!"

Silence ensued after Lavi's rant. Nobody seemed to know the right words to say. Yuu watched on as Alma took a step closer to Lavi and gripped his shoulders, probably willing to convey his empathy without needing to speak.

A muffled wail of the other band's vocalist could be heard in the background. It was gut-wrenching how he conveyed his sadness with a single high-pitched cry.

**..higher ground.. **

It was almost ten in the evening when Kanda arrived at the convenience store.

Upon seeing him bounding to where she was, Allen could not help her smile from showing. He was still so handsome even when his hair was flying behind him, his usually cool exterior gone. When he entered the establishment, Allen realised that he looked harassed and out of his element. This wiped the smile off of her face to be replaced with a frown from worry.

"Hey, what happened?" She asked as she came to meet him.

"I'll tell you later," said Kanda. He was trying to catch his breath. "What is it you want to talk about?"

"About that... Can we go somewhere else more private? Do you know if there's a park nearby?" said Allen hesitantly. Her stomach started churning. Her hands felt clammy and cold. It didn't help her case when her heart started pounding loudly too.

"I know one not far from here. Should we go?"

"Yes please."

They exited the convenience store together. Allen was still feeling slightly nauseated, but she tried to focus at the task at hand. She could not afford to be sick now. Not when she was about to tell Kanda something so important...

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"You're listless," Kanda noted. "Have you gone to see a doctor yet?"

"I'll go to the hospital tomorrow," Allen answered quietly.

They eventually reached the park. Kanda led Allen to one of the benches under the tree near the sandbox and they sat down.

All the energy from Allen's joints seemed to have left her then. Her muscles were like jelly. Her heart was threatening to escape its confines from beating so fast. She could no longer feel her fingers, so she rubbed her hands on her skirt vigorously in her attempt to warm them. She could feel her bile threatening to rise up to her throat.

"So, what's this you want to talk about that?" Kanda asked. Allen saw him shift sideways to face her, but she could not meet his eyes.

Allen gulped and opened her mouth to speak.

"Um, there's something you need to know… It's something that concerns us both…"

There was silence. Allen knew Kanda was waiting for her to continue.

"I haven't been feeling well for a month now, and noticed a lot of other things happening to me so it got me thinking… I bought a kit to test myself to confirm or deny my suspicion…" Allen said slowly. Her hands would not stop rubbing her skirt.

"And?" Kanda egged on. Allen noted the edginess to his voice.

Allen took a deep breath before she continued.

"The result shows that it's positive," said Allen. She mustered all the courage she could to finally look up to Kanda and see how he would take the news. "Kanda-san, I'm pregnant."

Kanda did not speak for what seemed like an eternity to Allen. His face was blank and this unnerved her immensely. His gaze was directed at her yet it was like he was not looking at her, but through her.

Then suddenly, he chuckled as he stood up. Allen did not like the sound of his laughter.

"Ah… I get it," said Kanda, his voice so lowly that Allen could not almost hear him. "I had almost forgotten you're friends with them..."

Allen frowned at this. Kanda was not making any sense.

"I don't understand…"

"I remember I told you about what Anita discussed to me last month," said Kanda as he turned around to face Allen who just stood up. "Now, you came up with a plan to tie me down to you."

Everything was becoming blurry as tears started to gather in Allen's eyes. There was a lump in her throat and she almost let out a whimper, but she willed herself not to let any sound out as she watched her world crumble into pieces.

"So you're planning to use me as well? Once we become big, I'll be famous, I'll have more money. People will know you as my woman. Is that what you want?"

She could not understand how Kanda deluded himself with this idea, but one thing is for sure: he did not want the child growing in her womb.

As tears finally rolled down her cheeks, she finally regained some vision. She looked up to see Kanda's menacing glare directed at her. His face contorted with rage, disappointment, hurt, fear, and all other emotions she could not recognize.

Then, an epiphany occurred to her.

Didn't Kanda just mention about their pending discovery? He did not know for sure, yet she _knew_. She knew because she had made the proposal to Cross and Komui of White Ark. She had pestered them for weeks, months even, and now they had finally decided to listen to her. Komui was coming anytime soon to see their potential for himself. Heck, he might have done it already without her knowledge. If Komui saw what she had seen in EXORCISTS, then they would secure a contract with Cross. Their future would be set.

If they all discovered that Kanda was going to be a father-to-be, and nonetheless, with Allen herself... There would be hell to pay.

_She did not want to take away such a bright future from Kanda._

Upon coming up with this resolution, her tears stopped flowing. Allen had made up her mind.

"I'm sorry, Kanda-san. I'm sorry!"

Then she ran. She ran, and ran, and ran. She pushed her legs to go faster. She needed to be away from that place. Away from Kanda. Away from his life. Away from his future, forever.

She would have to decide what to do with _it_ by herself.

**.author's notes.**

Hi, everyone! I finally got to upload a new chapter. I've been sneaking around at work to type in a few paragraphs because I could not work on this story at home. Anyways, please ignore any glaring grammar lapses. I have not gone through thorough checking of this chapter so there are bound to be more mistakes than usual. Please leave a review and let me know of your thoughts. See you around!


	7. Torches

**Date uploaded: **April 08, 2020

"Kou-kun! You-kun! Are you awake yet?"

"We're almost done, Okaa-san!" The two boys hollered back in unison.

Kouhei observed his appearance in front of the white vanity mirror just about his height. Everything was in place; his shirt was neatly buttoned, no bed hair sticking out, beige-coloured pants neatly ironed, and his blazer with the school logo emblazoned on the left side of his chest fell in place just the way he wanted it. Satisfied with what he saw, he turned his attention to the reflection of his younger brother Youhei who was currently wrestling a sock on his foot. His white shirt still was not buttoned and his vest was discarded carelessly on his bed. Kouhei turned from the mirror and worked on Youhei's buttons.

"Calm down. You're too worked up," said Kouhei as he frowned down at Youhei.

"Sorry. I couldn't sleep last night," said Youhei with a strained smile as he tried to put on a sock on his other foot without disrupting Kouhei's work on his shirt. "I'm too excited for the school to end so we can go with ojii-chan!"

Kouhei sighed at this. Of course he understood his brother's feelings well since they were promised by Cross-ojiisan that they would be seeing their favourite band tonight when they visit their mother after school. However, their grandfather was notorious in breaking his promises. On several occasions, they were told that they would be having dinner with him or would go to amusement parks together but he would cancel at the last minute with an excuse that he was busy with work. He tried to be understanding and not whine to their mother because he knew Cross-ojiisan was a very important man in his company, but sometimes he wondered if he was always telling the truth because mother would always tell him off for "not working hard enough".

So, no one could blame Kouhei if he was not as excited as his younger brother Youhei at the prospect of meeting the EXORCISTS after school. He did not want to feel the weight of disappointment when their ojiisan would cancel on them today.

"Let's not get too excited, Youhei. We still have school. You might get distracted and not pay attention to anything."

"I promise I'll be careful," Youhei grinned up at his brother.

"You-kun, Kou-kun."

At this, the twins turned their heads on their bedroom door's direction to find their mother peering through. When she found them dressed (though Youhei had yet to tuck in his shirt and wear his school blazer), she let herself in and closed the door behind her.

Their mother, a beautiful young woman (Kouhei swore he was _not_ being biased) walked up to them and sat beside Youhei. Her snowy-white hair which was usually tied on a low ponytail freely bounced as she settled on the mattress. Kouhei had always loved the gentle waves of her hair that reached past her shoulders. He had always thought she was much prettier this way than when she had to confine them in a boring hair tie to make herself look "neat".

"I hear you guys making a ruckus. What's up?" Their mother asked, her grey eyes surveying the room before turning her gaze to the twins.

"Sorry, 'kaa-san. Were we too noisy?" Youhei asked.

"Not really, but we need to be careful as to not disturbed our tenants below," said Allen with a reassuring smile.

"It's because Youhei is too excited to see EXCORCISTS later," Kouhei deadpanned.

At this, Allen bit her lip as she shifted her eyes on the side, looking troubled.

"What's wrong, Okaa-san?"

"Nothing, You-kun. But... are you sure you want to visit my workplace? I'm not even sure if you will be able to meet them, or if I could go talk to you while I work," said Allen with a frown.

"It's fine. Jii-chan said he'll give us a tour backstage and made us promise to behave. We'll try not to disturb you while you work," said Youhei with a toothy grin.

Allen pouted at this and pinched his cheek.

"I think you're just going there to see the band, but not your mother," said Allen sadly.

"No!" Both boys protested. Youhei hugged Allen around the waist and leaned his chin on her shoulder. "Of course we want to see you too. We want to see how you work, 'kaa-san since it's your new job." Kouhei added.

"Yeah. Ojii-chan says he's worried about you that's why we're visiting you later," Youhei chimed in.

Allen giggled and pulled Kouhei closer to her so she could also hug him as she looped her other arm around Youhei's shoulders.

"_Him?_ Worried? He's just going there so he can bully your poor mother," she said as she squeezed them. "You know how evil your Cross-ojiichan is."

"Don't worry, Okaa-san. I'll protect you from him if he scolds you later," said Kouhei with determination a ten year-old boy could muster. He wrapped his arms around Allen's neck and rested his cheek on her soft hair, tickling his nose.

"Me too!" Youhei added with a giggle.

Allen just laughed at them and as she gave them another tight squeeze.

**..higher ground..**

The twins bade their good byes with a kiss on each side of Allen's cheeks.

"Have fun in school," said Allen affectionately while ruffling their heads.

"Okaa-san, stop it please," said Kouhei sulkily. "You're messing my hair."

"It'll take you just a few seconds to fix it back in place. Afterall, both of you have fine hairs," said Allen, chuckling. Kouhei was always so serious.

"'Kaa-san, we'll see you later!" Youhei said, grinning as he carelessly patted the stray strands on his head. It just a took few combs of his fingers, his hair was back to normal. "We'll bring you some snacks."

"You don't need to bother, but thank you," said Allen, keeping the smile on her face.

"_Ittekimasu,_" the twins chorused. Youhei who was closest to the door knob pushed the door open and they headed out.

"_Ittarashai_," Allen replied before Kouhei closed the door behind him gently.

Once she was left alone, coldness suddenly crept up in Allen's bones. Her muscles were tense and her throat felt dry. There was also a weird sensation building in her stomach due to stress. She knew this day would come sooner or later and so she had tried prepared herself with all the possible questions she would encounter. But, being ready would not guarantee that everything would go well as she hoped. She would just have to pray hard and try to act normally as possible as to not arouse suspicion.

It had been almost ten years since Allen gave birth to her twin sons. Ten years full of hardships and pain, of joy and laughter with Kouhei and Youhei. Despite everything she had gone through to raise them all alone, she was thankful that she was blessed with such beautiful and kind sons. She would do anything to keep them happy. She would protect them from anyone who would try to hurt them – even if that person would be...

Allen shook her head vigorously. This was not the time to reminisce about the past – she had to go or she would be late for work. Steeling herself, she headed to the living room to grab her bag on the sofa. She checked the contents of her bag and seeing that her keys, wallet, and smartphone were all inside, she made for the door and went out.

Once outside, Allen heard the door close behind her with an ominous click.

**..higher ground..**

Allen arrived in one of Shibuya's "oku-shon" called Park Mansion Daikanyama, where all of the members of EXORCISTS are residing. She heard each of them owned a condominium somewhere in Tokyo, but if they needed to stay together, this was where you would find them. She opened the door of the black Mercedes-Benz Sprinter from the front seat and got out. As soon as she lifted her gaze, four tall men clouded her view.

"Hi, Allen-chan! It's been a while," said Lavi, a huge grin stretched across his face. He was wearing a white cargo pants tucked in green Dr. Marten's smooth leather ankle boots, and black oversized shirt. A green patterned bandanna was holding his wild, flaming red hair in place.

"I'm Walker Allen and I have been appointed as your manager starting today. I'm new at this kind of job so I might cause trouble, but I'm looking forward to having an amicable working relationship with you all. _Yoroshiku onegaishimasu_!" Allen said and bowed gracefully.

"Allen-chan, you've become more beautiful from the last time we've see you years ago," said Tokusa with a smile. He was wearing a red hoodie over black denim pants and red Dr. Marten's leather ankle boots.

"I agree," Alma chimed in enthusiastically. "Say, Allen, are you dating someone right now?"

"I think," Allen started in a slightly louder voice, deliberately ignoring Alma's question. "It's time for us to go. We don't want you to be late for the rehearsal."

Alma must have felt Allen's slight discomfort from his question as he gave her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder before climbing up inside the black van. Lavi and Tokusa were closely behind, while Kanda watched them with bored expression before following suit, completely ignoring Allen.

Allen sighed quietly, willing her heart to calm down. It had been beating so fast for the past few minutes while they exchanged pleasantries. She hoped she would get used to them soon because she might not be able to last if her heart would behave this way every time she was with them, she was with Kanda...

Once Kanda had shut the van's door behind him, Allen made for the door at the front passenger's seat and nodded to the driver while fixing her seatbelt. She let her shoulders sag and closed her eyes, hoping they would reach Yoyogi National Gymnasium in just a minute.

**..higher ground..**

They had finally arrived at the back entrance of Yoyogi National Gymnasium, one of the most iconic structures in Tokyo, where EXORCISTS' Japan Tour would kick off. Sitting within one of the largest parks in the metropolitan, the eye-catching curves of the building appeared to drape from two, large, central supporting cables. It was an innovative design that perfectly combines western modernist aesthetics and traditional Japanese architecture style which Yuu greatly admired as he had always been interested in architecture. He greeted the staff and so did the others upon getting off the van. Once they entered the premises, men pushing carts of electronics, running about to who-knows-where, or supervisors barking orders permeated their vision. Some hastily bowed when they noticed that they were already in the vicinity, others gave them a friendly wave before going back to their business, some were too preoccupied to even care or notice. Seeing everyone working hard for their concert made his heart swell with pride, though he kept his poker expression as hard as he could. It had been almost ten years since they got signed under White Ark as a band. They had started to play in small live music bars, universities, clubs, and music halls. Now, they're touring the biggest domes in Asia for their concerts. Their current album, _Inside Your Head_ was a huge international success and so a world tour was in order. After Japan, they would head off to US to do small shows, then Europe, and then finally Asia. He could not wait to explore the world again and meet their passionate fans. They were still far from the success L'Arc~en~**Ciel **achieved internationally, but Yuu promised himself he would not stop until every single non-Japanese person in the world has heard of their band name.

They reached a plain white door with a sign "EXORCISTS" printed on a bond paper glued on it. Allen held the door open for them. Alma, Tokusa, and Lavi trudged in while Yuu observed Allen observe them before he marched into the room himself, not without letting out a sniff. They all made for the couches and settled themselves as they discarded their huge bags somewhere on the floor.

"I'll let you rest first. Lunch will be arriving soon and I'll have them deliver your food here. After that, we'll start with the sound check," said Allen in her soft voice.

"Aww, don't be so uptight, Allen. Come in and sit with us and catch up! We didn't get a chance to chat when we had a meeting with Sacho together," said Alma, patting the empty space between us.

_The nerve of this guy..._

"Thanks, but I need to make sure that everything is running smoothly. I'm sure we'll be able to do that anytime soon but not now," said Allen with an uptight smile. "I better go. I'll see you all in a bit," and she was gone.

"She really _is_ a beauty. Don't you think so, Yuu?" Alma said, slapping Yuu's shoulder playfully.

He returned the gesture in kind by throwing a punch on Alma's arm. Alma howled in pain.

"But Yuu-chan, we never heard why you guys just..." Lavi trailed off with a shrug of his shoulders.

Tokusa nodded along Lavi's words. He crossed his leg over the other and leaned back, eyes trained on Yuu.

"it doesn't matter," said Yuu curtly.

"It obviously _matters_," said Alma. "But, lucky you, we won't push it for today. Just don't get mad at us when we three ogle at her face later."

"Are you sure it's just the face?" Tokusa asked in a teasing tone.

"Nothing escapes your eyes, Tokusa," said Lavi as he laughed. "It's a pity she wears boring coat and slacks for work when she's got great curves."

"Don't you already have Lenalee?" Tokusa asked incredulously.

"I know," said Lavi with a smirk. "I'm just looking."

Yuu had had enough listening to the admiring remarks (if they could still call it _that_) for Allen. He was itching to shout at them to make them stop but they would think he was getting jealous and possessive, when there was not any truth to it at all. He had ended things with her a decade ago when she attempted to deceive him like what her nasty bitch of a friend did to Lavi. He never bothered to explain to them why they were no longer together because to save his face. His pride could not bear to think that a mere _girl_ almost got around her finger.

Before his mood gets sour from the unwanted memories, he pulled his smartphone from the front pocket of his jeans and opened his music library. Better drown out all the noise than to hear them salivate over Allen.

**..higher ground..**

Lunch time soon came and food was delivered by Allen. Five bentos were piled in her arm, and her other arm carried a plastic full of bottled energy drinks. Alma tried to carry the boxes from Allen but she declined the help and hurriedly placed them on the desk pushed at the corner. Lavi got up from his leg stretching routine and so did Tokusa who was doing yoga and made a beeline for the food.

"Yuu, food's here. You want the shrimp tempura set?"

Yuu got up and wordlessly took the bento from Alma's outstretched hand and sat back down on the couch he was occupying a minute ago.

Just before he could snap the wooden chopsticks in half, the dressing room door swung open to reveal a rather cute woman dressed in mustard yellow sweater, dark grey jumper skirt, black translucent stockings, ang black boots. Her bright eyes landed on Yuu and she immediately plumped down beside him to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Yuu-kun, I miss you!" She squealed in delight.

"Why are you here, Mitsuki?" Yuu asked stiffly. He did not like being shown affection in front of people, especially with Allen in the same room.

"Of course it's to support you during your first concert of the album tour. I can't miss this for anything," said Mitsuki cheerfully, oblivious to Yuu's discomfort. "Nee, I'm hungry. What are you guys eating?"

Yuu's gaze briefly strayed from Mitsuki to Allen who was watching their interaction with a blank expression while holding a bottle of energy drink in one hand, and a bento on the other. Allen must have thought Yuu was silently asking her for extra food when their eyes met as she approached Mitsuki and handed her the food and drink.

"Ogyaku-sama, please take this," said Allen with a bow.

"And you are...?" Mitsuki asked.

"Walker Allen. I'm the new manager for EXORCISTS. _Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."_

"Kuroki Mitsuki, model signed under Hallow management. Nice to meet you, Walker-san," said Mitsuki who stood up and bowed. She then took the offered meal and drink from Allen and sat back down by Yuu.

"Allen, how about your meal?" Alma chimed in.

"There's plenty of extra food outside. I'll be fine," replied Allen with a small smile. "I need to check on the special effects you'll be using later anyway so I'll go now. Alma-san, please make sure you won't forget to do your own exercises later."

And Allen was out of the room before anyone could say anything. It irritated Yuu that Allen maintained her poker expression while facing him and Mitsuki but he would rather not dwell on this thought.

**..higher ground..**

At half past five in the afternoon, the band had come back to their dressing room to rest. They had just finished the rehearsal and sound check and so they had two and half hours left to themselves before their show at eight in the evening. Kuroki had left shortly after lunch break as she said she had a photoshoot commitment for a billboard ad. Lavi and Tokusa continued their own warm up exercises. Alma chose to lie back at one of the unoccupied couches. Kanda made his way to the desk at the corner where they stored their food and drinks.

Allen, who was standing close to the table, kept her eyes glued to her smartphone. She tried to focus on the checklist of tasks listed on her screen and not on Kanda who was surveying her as he chewed on a banana. A few more agonizing minutes went by and Allen started to grow weary of the intense and probably malicious stare from Kanda. She was tempted to ask him he needed anything from her when her phone started to chime indicating that she received a message on LINE.

_From: Cross_

_We're here. The kids are looking for you._

Knowing that her twins were now here suddenly lifted her spirits. She had been tired from running around the whole gymnasium checking, supervising, doing errands, and then there's Kanda who had been giving her the cold shoulder.

Wait. Kanda.

Dread suddenly filled Allen as she remembered that today was finally the day the twins would get to see their favourite band and as a mother, she should have been ecstatic for them. However, given the circumstances, she did not want her children and Kanda to cross paths. If she was lucky, Kanda would not interrogate her about them. Well, if she was not...

A knock on the door interrupted Allen's thoughts. She went to get the door.

"Walker-san! Sacho is here looking for you. He's by the entrance," said the man.

"Thank you," said Allen with a sincere smile. Then she turned to the band who were all eyeing them curiously. "I'll be back."

As soon as she out of the door, she hurriedly went to the back entrance where he knew Cross, Kouhei and Youhei would be waiting. She soon slowed down as she realized there was a small crowd gathering around Cross.

"Wah! Sacho, they're so handsome! Are they your kids?"

"Hi! What's your name?"

"Are they signed to White Ark as models?"

"'Kaa-san!" The twins cried in joy as their eyes landed on Allen who stood rooted to the spot just a few steps away from the circle that had formed. They ran past their crowd of admirers to squeeze her tight.

Allen gave them both a kiss on the cheek as she rubbed their backs while stooping to their level.

"Allen," said Cross who stood behind the twins.

"Sacho," Allen replied with a bow.

"How's the preparation going?" He asked as he glanced at their surroundings.

"Everything's in place. I didn't have to do much as the team knew exactly what they had to do."

Cross nodded, then looked at his wristwatch.

"I guess we still have time to chitchat with our rock stars, eh? Where they hell are they?"

"They're all in their dressing room to do their preparations," said Allen. All hopes that Cross had forgotten to introduce the band to the twins have gone down the drain.

"Come on, brats. We'll see your idols now,"

At this, Youhei's eyes lit up like Christmas lights, while Kouhei started fidgeting. Cross ignored all these and grabbed them by their nape to push them forward to where EXORCISTS' dressing room was.

Allen could only steel her nerves and take a deep breath. She needed to act normal if she wanted to pull this off cleanly.

"Lead the way, Allen," Cross called as he gave Allen a seemingly sinister smile.

**.author's notes.**

Hi, everyone! It's been a crazy few months for the most of us due to this pandemic caused by COVID-19. I hope you are all doing well and healthy wherever you are in the world. From where I am, we are currently in a total lockdown so I do my work from home luckily. Thus, I had more time to focus on this story and finish this chapter in 2 nights. First half of this chapter had been sitting on my OneNote for a few months already but a lot of things were happening at work that it all drained my energy for everything else. Now, it seems silly for me not to have any update when I'm basically just staying at home with not much to do aside from work, eat, sleep, take care of my cats, and read manga.

For my readers, I hope you all understand why is there a need to introduce OCs in the story. The plot is obviously set in Japan, I need more people with Japanese names and we all know that plenty of characters in this fandom are foreigners. Aside from this fact, I also want to avoid the usual we see in a lot of the fanfiction for DGM. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against them and I have enjoyed a lot of them, it's just that I want to explore and find possibilities in my own story. Like, what if Lenalee isn't Allen's best friend? What if Cross isn't an asshole like how he is usual portrayed? What if Kanda isn't adopted? What if Tiedoll did not adopt Marie, Daisya, and Chaoji?

I finally got to introduce my twins! I was so excited to write them when I first conceived this story but I'm not so sure if I did them justice? In any case, I'll work harder so that I can bring out the best in these characters. They have a huge impact to the plot afterall.

A question I would like to ask you is if you noticed the transition of pov in every section? This explains why Yuu becomes Kanda when it's Allen's pov for example, and why we see and feel things differently depending on whose pov we are on.

Sorry for the long AN for this chapter. I had so many things I would like to share to everyone but I know most of you just skip this part anyway. Haha! Please let me know what are your thoughts about this story. I don't mind if you write me in Spanish, or in any other language you're most comfortable with. Google and Bing translation exists hahah!

Please be a responsible citizen of your country. When going out, remember the following:

wear mask AT ALL TIMES.

Try to cover your eyes with something too.

Wear a cap or a bonet to cover your hair.

Frequently sanitize your hands.

DO NOT touch your face.

Sanitize the sole of your shoes when you get home and if possible, do not bring them _inside _the house.

Immediately remove all clothes and put them in your washing machine.

Take a bath. Do not make any detours or sit on any furniture when you have not washed your body yet.

Sanitize (if possible, wash them with soap and water) all the things you exposed outside: money, grocery goods, bags, wallet, etc.

This virus is not a joke. We see on the news that there are still some people who do not take this seriously. I'll tell you now, the time will come when you'll become afraid of it. Back when we still had less than 5 cases in the whole country, my officemates were so dismissive of this virus. They would tell me that I just had to make sure I have a good immune system and I'd be fine, and the virus is a good way to lessen the number of population all over the world. Now that we are in a lockdown, and the number of confirmed cases keep on rising, I see the same people discuss this online with others, concerned, afraid for their loved ones, afraid of the virus itself. Back then they didn't take me seriously when I told them the threat ncov poses for the humanity when I discussed this with them. Even our government didn't take this seriously at the beginning. Now they tell their people they don't know how to handle this and national budget isn't enough to handle this crisis.


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